Why Principles of Conflict Resolution cannot be Applied to the Palestinian-Israeli Issue

By: Eman Elshrafi

These past couple of weeks have been hard. As I watched clip after clip of the violence and injustice happening in the Palestinians territories, my heart grew heavy with sadness. And, as I witnessed the world sit in silence as the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah were forced out of their homes, as Israeli forces attacked peaceful protesters at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and as Israeli missiles rained over Gaza, that sadness quickly turned into anger and frustration.

Even, as I sit here and write this, it’s hard to find the words to sum up not only how I feel, as a Palestinian of the Diaspora, but also to give the situation the justice it deserves.

Growing up, I struggled with my identity. Although I was born in Amman, Jordan, I could not whole heartedly identify as a Jordanian. I moved to Boston, Massachusetts around the age of 5. And while now, I proudly embrace the part of my identity that is American, throughout my adolescence, I never felt like I fit in. Because of my olive-toned complexion, darker features, and “exotic” sounding name, people often asked me about my cultural background, to which I would reply, “I am a Palestinian.” Unfortunately, however, to say that you are a Palestinian comes with an implicit need to defend who you are.

“What is Palestine?” “Aren’t Palestinians terrorists?” And “Palestine doesn’t exist” are just a few of the responses that I would receive. One can imagine how emotionally and mentally draining it becomes to have to not only hear these reactions, but then to have to answer back as well in defense of something that is part of you, something that you know exists even though society is aiming for its erasure. And if I’m not a Palestinian, then who am I?

Eventually, I just started saying that I was from Jordan. It was easier, but it wasn’t my truth. As a result, I faced significant internal conflict. I felt like I had no ground to stand on, nowhere I really fit in. It was as if my entire existence and that of my family’s was being denied. Could you imagine what that does to a teen trying to navigate the world?

Despite that, I still tried to advocate for Palestinian rights as much as I possibly could. Along the way, I hit 101 walls. When I wanted to write about it in school, I was deterred by teachers. When I posted about it on social media, I was called an anti-semite. And when I spoke about it, I was silenced.

I grew hopeless. How could I help my people when it seemed like a battle against a current so strong that even the largest ships couldn’t break through?

I started applying to law schools, believing that law would be the answer, but the feeling of helplessness only deepened. Therefore, I decided to take a step back to reevaluate, choosing to attend a Masters program focused on conflict resolution for the time being.

During my conflict resolution studies, I came under the disillusionment that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is “complex” and should be treated us such. However, since then, I have woken up from that delusion. As a matter of fact, it is not a complicated “conflict” at all. Rather, there is an oppressor and an oppressed. It’s that simple.

Palestinians not only have to deal with the fact that their homes were stolen from them, but those that currently still reside in the region are subjected to inhumane treatment by Israeli forces. Palestinians are treated as second-class citizens where their homes or their lives could be taken from them at any second. It is an apartheid system. Palestinians are largely segregated and denied basic freedoms and equal opportunities. Those living in the occupied territory of Gaza basically live in an open air prison where Israel controls all movement in and surrounding the area. All Palestinians also face a disproportionate amount of force by Israeli police and military. Those same Palestinians do not have a police force or military of their own to protect them.

When Palestinians try to resist, such as the protests that occurred after the raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque or even the rockets fired by Hamas (which were fired after Hamas warned Israel to stop its attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque — all context largely ignored by mainstream media), they are met with severe collective punishment.

Another aspect that cannot be ignored is the significant asymmetry in power. If we just consider technology alone, Israel has one of the strongest militaries and most advanced defense systems in the world (Iron Dome Anti-missile) subsidized by U.S. taxpayers (the U.S. provides Israel with 3.8 billion dollars in military aid per year). And once again, Palestinians do not even have a military or much of a leadership. During the most recent outbreak of violence, Israeli forces killed at least 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, while on the Israeli side, 12 people were killed, including 2 children. Now you tell me, based on these numbers alone, does this sound like a fair fight?

Let’s consider other details. When Hamas fired rockets at Israel, Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile technology intercepted 90 percent of those rockets. Israel on the other hand used the newest military technology in the forms of tanks, artillery and war planes to reign down terror on Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world where its residents have no where to run. In this assault, Israel not only destroyed numerous residential buildings, displacing around 58,000 Palestinians, but it completely devastated Gaza’s entire infrastructure (which was already VERY WEAK). Given this information, was Israel’s response to the rockets fired by Hamas proportionate? Was it just?

It is important to note that I do not condone the indiscriminate killing of civilians by Hamas as much as I do not condone it as it is carried out by Israel. I also do not believe in this existence of one group at the expense of the other. Both Palestinian and Israeli lives are important. I acknowledge my bias as a Palestinian, but I am a human above all who holds certain truths to be evident.

And the undeniable facts in this situation are that there is one group who has an enormous amount of power and is supported by other states with a lot of power while the other has close to no power and is controlled and restricted by the dominant state. The dominant state favors members belonging to a specific religious group. Anyone who is not part of that religious group is not guaranteed equal rights, freedoms, and opportunities. The dominant group exerts its power to maintain control over land and resources through the use of excessive force. The low power groups are typically on the receiving end of that force without the proper means or support to defend themselves.

When the power differences are so vast with the more powerful side so unwilling to make concessions, conflict resolution (CR) principles cannot be applied. Yes, CR and peacebuilding methods may be applied at a local level as a way of mending bridges between the two groups in a manner that ultimately creates a ripple effect to the top. However, as it stands, the structure of the current system is not conducive to the effective utilization of any CR/Peacebuilding strategy.

The country of Israel is an apartheid state. Palestinians are not only subjugated to different laws and treatment than Israeli Jews, but they are also largely segregated so many Israeli citizens are not even aware of the different circumstances Palestinians face. And by the way, when the term “Palestinians” is used, it does not just refer to Palestinian Muslims, but to Palestinian Christians as well. On top of that is the fact that the Israeli government indoctrinates its citizens with beliefs of Jewish superiority and fear and hate of the “other”, which in this case is the Palestinian. This conditioning occurs in schools, in the media, and through constant exposure to the narrative set forth by the leadership within the country. Since each Jewish citizen of Israel is required to serve in the military, this “us vs. them” mentality becomes deeply ingrained within the Israeli identity where the “other” is seen as a threat to their entire existence.

In the field of conflict resolution, a fundamental idea is that in order to create an understanding between the involved parties, it is critical that the needs underlying positions and interest come to the surface. However, because of state-sponsored segregation and the use of propaganda, neither side has been able to perceive relevant needs in an accurate light. If we use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, for example, it could be said that both Palestinians and Israelis alike need security. But, what if that need has been fabricated by the state to maintain control of land, resources, and power? For reference, I, in no way, attempt to invalidate this need. Still, one cannot help but to wonder if this need is significantly dramatized, especially when considering the differences in the number of casualties, the destruction caused, weapons used, and the accounts of civilians. I mean this need for security is woven into the very institutions that Israel is built on, such as its focus on the military and the requirement that each Jewish citizen serve time in the Israeli Defense forces. All I know is that if I was living in such a system, where this need for security is drilled into me from birth, I would probably feel that my security was constantly under threat and needs to be protected at all costs too.

Along the same lines, what if the Palestinian need for security cannot be acknowledged, again, because of segregation and the narrative maintained by the media and the government? When maintstream news sources report on a conflict, they ignore crucial context, often beginning at the point “Hamas fires rockets”. However, what they rarely talk about are the conditions that lead Hamas or Palestinians, in general, to resist. And that resistance largely comes from their need for security being undermined by Israeli forces.

Again, I do not doubt or reject the notion that Israelis deserve security just as Palestinians do. Furthermore, I want to emphasize (before anyone calls me an anti-semite), THIS IS NOT ABOUT RELIGION. The anti-semitism card is a propaganda tactic used to silence critics. It intertwines Judaism with the state of Israel, but they are TWO SEPARATE ENTITIES. To label anyone who advocates for Palestinian rights an anti-semite is dangerous. To call any Jew who criticizes the Israeli government for its treatment of Palestinians “Self-Hating” is dangerous. We must be conscious of the fact that this is a strategy used to divert attention away from the crimes being committed by the Israeli government.

That being said, I have met beautifully compassionate Israeli people, who I have becomes friends with and who have furthered my understanding of the “other” because I was open to it. But, how can a people be open and willing to the same when they are led astray by a state that profits off of being in conflict?

According to conflict resolution scholars, a “conflict” must be “ripe” for resolution. This means that the parties must be willing and ready to reach a mediated agreement. Other challenges that impact “ripeness”, and ultimately sustainability, include the intent and interest of spoilers, the interests and influence of external actors, and whether or not the root causes of the conflict have changed (da Rocha, 2016). Unfortunately, the case in question does not meet any of these conditions. And how can it when one side holds all of the power and control and acts with impunity as it receives unconditional support from arguably the largest power in the world? Why would that state want to concede in any sense if it doesn’t have to? Israeli leaders have already stated that they are not willing to give Palestinians equal rights, and they keep taking more and more internationally recognized Palestinian land (again, facing no consequences), making a two-state solution almost impossible. So what’s left?

How much longer will the international community stay silent while Israel commits crimes against humanity? How far will this go before the world finally stands up? How many more Palestinians have to die? Does the whole population have to be on the brink of extermination before people realize what’s actually going on? Does Israel have to set its eyes on the wrong plot of land, setting off another war before the US and its allies do something?

And for those of you who believe that the Palestine-Israel problem is too far from home to be concerned with, I argue that it is something we should all be worried about not only as an issue of humanity, but because it carries negative implications for matters of national security as well as world peace.

The Palestinian people, including the children of Gaza, face significant trauma that they will continue to carry with them for the rest of their lives. Trauma, if left untreated, can show up as depression and anger, which then may transform into hate and violence.

Another important principle in the study of conflict resolution is the relevance of identity. If an identity is threatened or treated as inferior, conflict is likely to develop. As stated before, under Israel’s apartheid regime, Palestinians are treated as second-class citizens simply due to their nationality/religion. To add, many Palestinians believe that Israel is trying to wipe out our entire existence. In support of this claim, evidence used include the ethnic cleansing of various Palestinian neighborhoods, such as Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, “Palestine doesn’t exist” statements by political leaders, or attempts to lump in Palestinians as Arabs and arguments that they should go to other Arab countries. Could you imagine the psychological impact it causes on a people, and not just Palestinians that live within the country, but for every Palestinian of the Diaspora like myself, to be told that your identity isn’t real? Or that it’s worth less?

What started as the “Jewish Problem” has now become a “Palestinian Problem”. Where does it end? These issues are not just going to go away, and the conflict cannot be resolved until Palestinians are actually treated like human beings. And one more time for those in the back who are going to “But Hamas” me. “But Hamas” nothing. The road to resolution must start with the inclusion, freedom, and equal rights and protections of Palestinians. There has to be a whole-system change. Then, if Hamas is still firing rockets, we can talk about Hamas.

The international community must change its tune. Currently, the US cannot be considered an honest broker of peace. Unfortunately, however, the US is the only country with any real influence. Since the US supplies Israel with significant military aid, there is leverage that can be used to pressure Israel into complying with international law at the very least. There is leverage that can be used to get Israel to reach an honest agreement with the Palestinians devoid of power differences. Now is the time for that leverage to be used.

Enough is enough. The international community must act now…before it’s too late.

Because this is anything but complicated.

Sources:

da Rocha, J. P. (2016). Mediating international conflicts: Challenges and opportunities. BPC Paper 4(1). BRICS Policy Center: Rio de Janeiro