Wasn't the Gaza strip and the West Bank part of the "Promised Land" that God promised Abraham?

Technically, the land promised to Abraham included all of what we'd call the Middle-East.

The land called Israel in the Bible was the area of land which was promised to Jacobs Children... Jacob was the son of Isaac and Isaac the son of Abraham. If you read Genesis it become more clear. Esau and Ishmael's Children all got land as well. Even Lot's (Moab) children received land in the area promised to Abraham.

So, Gaza and the West Bank are apart of Jacob's (Israel's) lot... and should be given to the Jews without question. They even won it in war, so it's theirs by right of war as well.

If you go far enough back in human history, family trees shrunk purely based upon earth's population. During Abraham's era it is estimated the entire world population was somewhere around 25 million vs 200 million at the time of Christ. So it is not hard to imagine how any significant, wealthy, blessed, and propertied individual like Abraham would be a considerable influence on those alive at the time. It could be that just like people of modern times enjoy tracing their lineage to famous personages just a few hundred years ago, the ancients had far less populated family trees to research. So allot easier to trace lines to Abraham, David, Isaac. Put that together with living in the same geographical vicinity makes it even an easier task. Now the real question remains, what gave the jews, muslims, and christians the right to ascribe to themselves any promises claimed to have been received by Abraham from God. Here is where inspiration of scripture (torah, bible, quran) inserts it influence. How does one claim more relevance than another? Well we all know the answer to that.

Here is a link to biblical maps.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/biblicalmaps/qt...

The reason they gave up the land is because God said that he would scatter Israel throughout the world. When in 70 AD the Romans destroyed the temple and the Israelites were then scattered throughout the world.

God also said he would gather Israel like together again. In 1948 Israel became a nation again after almost 2000 years of being scattered throughout the nations of the earth. While they were scattered the Palestinians ruled the land that is Israel. When Israel regained the land in 1948 the Palestinians were to share the land according to the UN. That is the basic reason why they are there now. There is a lot more detail to the whole thing but that is the basics.

If you would like to know more just ask. Would be happy to get you more details if you would like.

Gen 15:18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Gen 15:19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

Gen 15:20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

Gen 15:21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

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Deu 11:24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.

Yes Donna, it was the Land that God promised Abraham.

It was actually all the land from the Nile to the Euphrates...that is :

Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

Are you suggesting that these countries become part of Israel?

Problem is: Who ARE the descendants of Abraham? I suspect its most of the people of the Middle East if my population genetics serves as a suitable guess.

Yes it was promised to Abraham and his descendants through Issac.They should not have to surrender their land, it is just a small part of the massive area that Islam controls today.

muslims believe in abraham too and they are his descendants so what's up with the promised land to a specific few rather than the descendants (which would pretty much include all abrahamic faiths)

“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”

Yahweh promised the whole land of Canaan to the ''ancient Israelites''.