The story of David and Goliath epitomizes the supremacy of intelligence, acumen, pragmatism and faith in God, over strength, power, military might and numbers. It is easy, of course, to illustrate the confrontation of David with Goliath in Bint Jbeil as an embodiment of this equation, but in a reversal of roles; the Arabs, represented by Hezbollah, were David this time, the weaker opponent armed with faith and intelligence, against power and formidable strength. However, there is another aspect of the myth, not addressed yet; Saul's jealousy of David could as easily have illustrated one of the parties to the war on Lebanon. David's king, Saul, who had failed so far to defeat Goliath, envied David his success and saw him as a threat. He harboured malicious intent towards him and resolved to pursue him until he was able to kill him (1 Samuel 17).
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April 2008
Research Article|
April 01 2008
David, Goliath and Saul: repercussions on Israel of the 2006 war
Azmi Bishara
Azmi Bishara
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Centre for Arab Unity Studies, Beirut, Lebanon
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Corresponding Address: Azmi Bishara, P.O. Box 18077, Doha, Qatar and P.O. Box 941480, Amman 11194, Jordan; Email: [email protected]
Contemporary Arab Affairs (2008) 1 (2): 211–236.
Citation
Azmi Bishara; David, Goliath and Saul: repercussions on Israel of the 2006 war. Contemporary Arab Affairs 1 April 2008; 1 (2): 211–236. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/17550910801951755
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