The language of Revelation is frequently very figurative, and I'd be surprised if that weren't true of Islamic apocalypses also, but with that understanding I see no reason they should be ignored. And, let's be honest here, if someone from the time of Tiberius Caesar was called upon to write a description of events from today (or 1000 years from now) how would you EXPECT it to read? We went to the freaking MOON! And we didn't exactly walk.

Yeah, I'm still not getting the whole "because it's apocalyptic it should be ignored" thing. That might be convenient, at least for now, but I see no other reason for it. Yes, the language can be jarring and bizarre, but unless you insist on taking it literally I don't think that means it should automatically discounted.

Both religions assign ownership of Canaan to different groups, and state that deep and bitter resentments exist as far back as the childhood of the two men they consider progenitors of each group. Of course, that gets a little dicey for the Palestinians themselves, since there's real reason to believe they're predominantly Hebrew rather than Arab, but then, it's a particular group of Palestinians that are having trouble with the IDF, and it's not really convenient for them to present themselves as Hebrew (for SOME reason that SURELY has nothing to do with either religion. ) I've never heard anything about adherents to the Samaritan Torah being run off their land, or suicide bombing Israeli busses, but they're as "Palestinian" as anyone. Unlike the other Palestinians, however, they refer to themselves as "Israelites" and I doubt Israel finds them too alarming.

There's a little more going on here than simply present day land rights. Issues like whether Israel has the right to exist--anywhere--and whether a Palestinian state not as dedicated to Israels annihilation as to their own survival is possible. Sure, the modern legal claims play a huge role in that. But the whole reason those conflicting claims exist is because of a BELIEF in the Covenant with Abraham, whether or not others thing any such covenant was ever made. I still think the below link is HIGHLY relevant, both because it predates nearly every modern European state, and what it claims about the people living in Canaan before and after the Diaspora: