Muslims and Christians and the history of the Middle East

Thanks to Rich who forwarded me an email going around about those nasty Muslims and how they are going to destroy our Christian country by jihad if we don't return George Bush to the White House (a goal they have been bent on since ancient days), I have been forced to look up some information on the history of Israel and Palestine.

As you might imagine, there are plenty of sites devoted to pushing the case of one side or the other, but I did find this one at MidEast Web that provides lots of interesting facts and links, without the emotion, dating back to Biblical days. Israel and Palestine: A Brief History. I haven't read it all yet, but I intend to.

Here's the introductory note:

History, and different perceptions of history, are perhaps the most important factors in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Accounts of history, interpreting history in different ways, are used to justify claims and to negate claims, to vilify the enemy and to glorify "our own" side. Dozens of accounts have been written. Most of the accounts on the Web are intended to convince rather than to inform.

This very brief account is intended as a balanced overview and introduction to Palestinian and Israeli history, and the history of the conflict. It is unlikely that anyone has written or will write an "objective" and definitive summary that would be accepted by everyone, but it is hoped that this document will provide a fair introduction.

It would be wrong to try to use this history to determine "who is right," though many "histories" have certainly been written by partisans of either side, with precisely that purpose in mind. Those who are interested in advocacy, in collecting "points" for their side, cannot find the truth except by accident. If they find it, and it is inconvenient, they will bury it again. This account intends to inform, and nothing more. Two separate documents explain how I think we should gather facts and learn about the conflict, and the importance of words in making Middle East history, as well as in understanding it. A timeline provides details of many events not discussed in this history, and source documents provide additional background. Serious students will also refer to the bibliography for more information and different viewpoints, and will always seek out primary source documents to verify whatever claims are made about those documents or about quotes from those documents.

The same website also has a page outlining the Israel-Palestine conflict "in a nutshell".