Emile Durzi

Abraham Emile Durzi

The Old Testament legend in which God gave Abraham a "Promised Land" for all his children has profound implications for the modern history of Palestine and the world. The two essays in this collection examine the colorful Genesis tale with modern eyes. From a genealogical perspective, they show that Abraham, whose wives included an Egyptian slave and a Canaanite (modern Palestinian) woman, fathered multi-ethnic children who also stood to inherit ancient Palestine. From a political perspective, the author argues that the evolving character of modern-day Israel, from a secular refuge for Jews who suffered discrimination elsewhere to a Messianic state in fulfillment of divine promises to an exclusive portion of "the seed of Abraham" represents an aberration of modern political development and an insurmountable obstacle to a rational dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.