The Abraham File

Abraham, the patriarch. The man who Jews, Christians and Muslims see as their father. Unfortunately the conflict between the Jews and the Arabs, the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael, over the Promised Land is still raging. According to ancient beliefs Hebron is the city where Abraham worshipped, it is the place where he was buried. Today Hebron is the place where Jewish settlers defy Arab inhabitants; it is an obstacle to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Jerusalem is yet another obstacle. The Temple of the Mount, in the heart of the city, is the place where Abraham is said to have come to sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son. This terrible trial, known as “Abraham´s sacrifice”, remains an enigma, a paradox, to us all. The investigator goes from place to place interviewing “witnesses” collecting evidence. Did he really exist? If so, when? What does Abraham the patriarch represent today? What role has he been given to play in the conflict and in the negotiations? How has the story of Abraham influenced our culture and our imagination?