Page 34 - Non-violence and peace-building

Learn from History

this culminated in His giving them the opportunity
of entering Palestine and occupying it. The history of
the Jews after this is one of continuous rise and fall—of
being rewarded for good deeds and punished for sins.
The period of the prophet Samuel inaugurated an
independent kingdom of the Jews. In 604 B.C.E.,
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (in modern-day Iraq)
occupied Syria and marched till the border of Palestine.
Out of fear, Jehoiakim, the Israelite king of Judah, was
forced to pay him tribute. After a while, Jehoiakim
decided it would be more beneficial for him to ally
with Egypt. And so, he revolted against the Babylonian
ruler and stopped paying him tribute. This angered
the latter, who began making preparations to invade
Palestine. In the meanwhile, Jehoiakim died, and his
son succeeded him to the throne. The Babylonian army
attacked Palestine, captured the new Jewish king, and
took him back with them to Babylon. The Babylonian
king appointed a relative of the former king of Judah in
the latter’s place.

At this time, the Prophet Jeremiah appeared among
the Children of Israel. He advised the Children of
Israel not to try to fight against reality and to accept
the existing political system. He exhorted them to stop
confronting the existing government and, instead,
to work in a constructive manner. But then, false
leaders emerged among the Children of Israel. They
issued fiery, emotionally-driven appeals, trying to stir
up the Children of Israel with romantic promises. As
a result, the Children of Israel fell prey to false hopes
and wishful thinking. Because of this, they could not

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