ISRAELIS and Palestinians were not always at war; there was an occasional moment of cease-fire as well. Every cease-fire used to be a time for sport and Israelis and Palestinians were bitter rivals on the play-field as well. David had become the king of Israelis after felling Goliath, fiercest of all Palestinian warriors, with a stone when he was just a kid. However, rumours that Goliath had died in the encounter were false. Goliath was alive and thirsting for revenge.

Goliath spent years in preparing himself for his next battle with David, which would be fought on the play-field of mind. Meanwhile, David did not know that Goliath was alive and had become an accomplished mathematician. Goliath was looking for the right time to come out of the hiding when he heard that another cease-fire had been announced. "The time has come," he wrote to his second-in-command, who didn’t waste an instant in jumping onto his horse which took him straight to Jerusalem, where David ruled.

"My master has challenged you to beat him," he announced in David’s court. "If I accept his challenge, it will be a breach of the cease-fire agreement, which I won’t like," said David. "My master wants a battle of the mind, not an armed combat," said the messenger. David said, "I accept. When and where should I meet your master?" "Tomorrow, at Golan Heights," said the messenger and left the court.

"I thought you were dead," said David when he saw Goliath on the battleground the next day. "I thought you were a coward, but you proved me wrong by accepting to come here alone," said Goliath, in reply. "What’s the challenge?" said David. "Mathematics," said Goliath. "You are too old for any kind of combat. This fight will be even easier than the previous one. In mathematics, if nothing has been accomplished by the age of 25, nothing will be achieved after it," said David, at which, Goliath said, "We shall see! I challenge you to plant 12 trees in 6 rows, with 4 trees in each row." "That shouldn’t be difficult," said David, before getting down to solving the problem, which he couldn’t, even after hours of labour. "How would you do it?" he asked Goliath. "I would plant the trees on the points where the lines the Star of David (which is on the flag of Israel) cut each other," said Goliath and saw David kick sand in frustration for missing such a sitter. "I studied your strengths to prepare myelf for this day. I could see a pattern in the Star of David which you failed to notice. Now, plant 10 trees in 5 rows, with four trees in each row," said Goliath. David did not have a solution this time as well.

Goliath said, "The solution lies in the pattern formed by the sacred star of Palestinians, where you plant the trees on the points where the lines intersect each other. I knew my strengths before this rematch. Never underestimate old men. It wasn’t I who fell to your stone and it wasn’t you who fell to my logic. In all battles, pride hath a fall."

— Aditya Rishi