The conflict in Palestine emerged in 1948 with the violent creation of the Zionist occupation regime, named Israel.

It was premised on the argument that Zionist Jews are ‘God’s chosen people” and the lands of Palestine was promised to them. Central to its establishment was the usurpation of the lands of the Palestinian people, whose ancestors’ presence on the land traces back millennia, the Judaisation of key cities and towns and the planned destruction of the Islamic holy site, the al-Aqsa Mosque in order to establish a new temple.

In contemporary expression, it has been debated whether the struggle in Palestine is a religious one or simply premised on the fight for human rights.

Guest: Dr. Sheikh Shahid Mathee – Senior lecturer, Department of Religion Studies (University of Johannesburg)

[Picture: AFP]