Who Was The Son of Promise - Isaac or Ishmael?

We've all heard Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech "I Have a Dream," where he talks about "The Promised Land." 


What was he talking about and what is the problem?

Here are the defining parameters:

Other names for "The Promised Land" is The Land of Israel, the Holy Land, and Palestine.  The area referred is situated between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea with no distinct borders.

In Judism it is implied to be the land given to the Israelites by God, according to the Hebrew Bible. Part of his covenant.  In Christianity - It is the birth place of Jesus, his ministry, his crucifixion, and resurrection. In Islam - This is where Muhammand experienced "a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque (Mecca) to the Farthest Mosque (al-Aqsa) The area is believed by both the Jews and the Palestinians that they are to be the intended inheritors of "The Promised Land."

The promise as described in Genesis says the Lord told Abraham to leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. The Lord said, "To your offspring I will give this land," from the river of Egypt (Nile) to the great Euphrates River.

The land promised to Israel includes all the land from the Nile River in Egypt to Lebanon (North and South) and everything in between from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River (West and East)

Today, "The Promised Land" includes all the land modern Israel currently possesses, plus all the land of the Palestinians (the West Bank and Gaza) some of Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.  

Israel currently possesses only a fraction of the land that God had promised them.

The problem and the debate is who is truly the son of promise. The Hebrew Scriptures say it is Isaac, the Qur'an says it is Ishmael. 

For thousands of years both have lived in peace but since World War II the hostility has a modern origin.  

The United Nations gave a portion of the land to the Jewish people which was primarily inhabited by Palestinians. Arab nations tried to displace the Jews since but to no avail and hostility continues to this day and may never be resolved.

The 'Promised Land', I guess we'll never really know who the property was promised too? At the present moment it seems Isaac was the intended benefactor, eh? 

But, don't admit that to a Palestinian, your life could depend on it.