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Most recently I have been looking into this subject, something which I do not claim to know much about. However I find the palestinions use of terroroism shameful, I recently foudn the following article and enjoyed the perspective taken by Prof. Khaleel Mohammed: I am interested to hear what people think on this one. The Quran confirms Jewish right to the Land and to Jerusalem Extract from Frontpage Interview's with Prof. Khaleel Mohammed, Assistant Professor at the Department of Religious Studies at San Diego State University . The Quran in Chapter 5: 20-21 states quite clearly: "Moses said to his people: 'O my people! Remember the bounty of God upon you when He bestowed prophets upon you , and made you kings and gave you that which had not been given to anyone before you amongst the nations. O my people! Enter the Holy Land which God has written for you, and do not turn tail, otherwise you will be losers.'" The thrust of my analysis is where Moses says that the Holy Land is that which God has "written" for the Israelites. In both Jewish and Islamic understandings of the term "written", there is the meaning of finality, decisiveness and immutability. And so we have the Written Torah (unchangeable) and the Oral Torah (which represents change to suit times). And in the Quran we have "Written upon you is the fast"- to show that this is something that is decreed, and which none can change. So the simple fact is then, from a faith-based point of view: If God has "written" Israel for the people of Moses, who can change this? When the Muslims entered that land in the seventh century, they were well aware of its rightful owners, and when they failed to act according to divine mandate (at least as perceived by followers of all Abrahamic faiths), they aided and abetted in a crime. And the present situation shows the fruits of that action wherein innocent Palestinians and Israelis are being killed on a daily basis. I also draw your attention to the fact that the medieval exegetes of Quran--without any exception known to me--recognized Israel as belonging to the Jews, their birthright given to them. Indeed, two of Islam's most famous exegetes explained "written" from Quran 5:21  thus: Ibn Kathir (d. 774/1373) said: ?That which God has written for you? i.e. That which God has promised to you by the words of your father Israel that it is the inheritance of those among you who believe? . Muhammad al-Shawkani (d. 1250/1834) interprets Kataba to mean ?that which God has allotted and predestined for you in His primordial knowledge, deeming it as a place of residence for you? (1992, 2:41 ). The idea that Israel does not belong to the Jews is a modern one, probably based on the Mideast rejection of European colonialism etc, but certainly not having anything to do with the Quran. The unfortunate fact is that most Muslims do NOT read the Quran and interpret it on the basis of its own words; rather they let imams and preachers do that for them. How did the Jews lose their right to live in the Holy Land ? All reliable reports show that it was by the looting and burning that followed from 70-135 C.E. When the Muslims entered the place in 638, liberating it from the Byzantines, they knew full well to whom it rightfully belonged. The later Muslim occupation and building a mosque on the site of the Temple was something that was not sanctioned by The Qur?an. How honest is contemporary Islam with this? Given the situation in the Middle East , politiking etc stands in the way of honesty.