Cultural analysis of the israeli-palestinian conflict

When a large number of people with similar values confronts another group with different values, a cultural clash occurs. In the contemporary world, there are various conflicts, and the strife between Israel and Palestine deserves public attention. Palestine should be condemned for demonstrating unreasonable aggression towards its neighboring state.

This conflict has many facets and dimensions. It is obviously a religious-cultural (a Muslim-Jewish) conflict: “ The Jews, the enemies of Allah and of His Messenger, enemies of humanity in general, and of Palestinians in particular… the Jews would not cease to harbor hatred towards Muslims… The Prophet says: ‘ You shall fight the Jews and kill them all” (The Cultural-Historical Debate behind the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 2016).

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is also a territorial-national one, and it began many decades ago. The first war occurred in 1948 with the arrival of the first Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe into “ Palestine,” the land of their forefathers. Jews who lived all over the world and by far did not have their country began immigrating into Palestine. The main reason was escaping genocidal persecution during world war I. Jews bought property and started their businesses and were living peacefully in then-Palestine. Unfortunately, Muslim/Arabs in Palestine were enraged by the presence of Jews and Jewish immigration even though Jews were peaceful, had legally purchased land and were contributing to local economies with their businesses, professions and prosperous farms.

The motivation was pure religious bigotry against Jews by Muslim/Arabs. There were many attempts to conduct negotiations, make legislative proposals but the result was not successful. However, there is still hope that the leadership of the two countries can improve the political situation. Israel and Palestine have the same values, mindset, and they used to have the same education level until Israel destroyed the schools and education system. Concerning Islamic theology, it ignites and fuels the divergence between cultures because the Koran declares that Islam is a supreme religion, and it denigrates those who are non-Muslims. Such an ideology arouses disagreements and conflicts with values of civilized countries and with those supported particularly in Israel. The western countries consider Israel to be to be a politically western oriented state governed by a Jewish cultural majority with notable religious minorities, organized and functioning in a democratic way. In this regard, the Isralian culture and values differ considerably from the culture prevailing among her Arab-Islamic neighbors, particularly in Palestine.

Immediately after the World War II, Palestine was not the priority of the United States. The paranoia of the Cold War and the need to ensure unrestricted access to the region’s oil, the US for many years stood aloof from the ensuing wars between Israel and the adjacent Arab states and sought primarily to limit the influence of the Soviet Union in the Middle East. “ Today, Israel regards the US as its principal supporter and ally, and the US regards Israel as a vital regional partner in the war against terrorism. Israel’s enemies are America’s enemies, and vice versa” (Bickerton 208).

The Palestinians emphasize their victimhood, suffering and a deep sense of injustice at being punished because of Europe’s treatment of Jews. They omit the topic of initiating wars, violence, weak leadership and constant refusal to take opportunities for accommodation. The Israelians emphasize their historical attachment to the area and the legitimacy which the United Nations granted the Jews according to the Partition plan, the hostility and constant threat of wars coming from their neighboring countries, and the rejection of their peace offers. Underlying it all is the ever-present painful subject of the Holocaust.