Someone was wondering about whether Jews are a distinct racial type. Someone else mentioned that the conflicts in the Middle East really are between "brothers".

Genesis chapter 10 (after the Flood) lists the "generations" of Noah's 3 sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. It mentions _where_ each branch of the family tree settled down, but the names are mostly old ones and it's hard to know how the correlate with modern names. (Gaza is mentioned, tho, and Beth-el.)

Shem's lineage begat Terah who begat Abram, Nahor and Haran. (Haran was Lot's daddy.) Terah took Abram and Lot and some others "from Ur of the Chaldes, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran" which must be where Abram's brother Haran had staked his claim. Then Abram got word from God to move "unto a land that I will shew thee". Eventually Abram "dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain [of Jordan]."

Lots of drama occurred. Then: "And Melchizedek king of Salem [which means Peace] brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram...." (This is a rare appearance by Melchizedek, suggesting a most significant blessing.)

Eventually Abram was newly named Abraham, and his wife Sarai, Sarah. They had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob; Jacob eventually had 12 sons (with two wives and their two handmaidens, in Syria), who became the Tribes -- Jacob was newly named Israel.

None of this mentions "Jews" yet. But there's a brief reference to "Abraham the Hebrew". The roots of the question must be in here somewhere.

I've heard that the ongoing troubles in the Middle East stem from a conflict, somewhere in the Old Testament, between 2 women. I don't know which two that would be. Maybe somebody else does? There was some mischief recorded--a lot of mischief, in fact, but it's not clear what was forgiven and worked out well at the time versus what was not forgiven and might be the seeds of the tensions that still are present today.

For example, Jacob "bought" his older brother Esau's birthright-of-the-firstborn, "for a mess of pottage" (lentil stew) -- but I think Esau understood he had made the choice himself. Later, Jacob's mother persuaded Jacob to pretend to be Esau and thus to "steal" the blessing of Isaac that would more rightly have been given to Esau. But later, after twnety years or so, Esau and Jacob rejoin and seem to be happy with each other.

Meanwhile, the bloodlines of Noah's other two sons were also "multiplying" and expanding in nearby lands.

The details are not clear, but yes, it does look like it could be said that conflicts in that part of the world could be between "brothers" or between lineages of the two women, whoever they are.