This Companion explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from its inception to the present day, demonstrating the depth and breadth of the many facets of the conflict, from the historical, political, and diplomatic to the social, economic, and pedagogical aspects. The contributions also engage with notions of objectivity and bias and the difficulties this causes when studying the conflict, in order to reflect the diversity of views and often contentious discussion surrounding this conflict.
The volume is organized around six parts, reflecting the core aspects of the conflict
historical and scholarly context of the competing narratives
contemporary evolution of the conflict and its key diplomatic junctures
key issues of the conflict
its local dimensions
international environment of the conflict
the "other images" of the conflict, as reflected in public opinion, popular culture, the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, and academia and pedagogy.
Providing a comprehensive approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this companion is designed for academics, researchers, and students interested in the key issues and contemporary themes of the conflict.
Author(s): Asaf Siniver
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 603
City: London
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Illustrations
Notes on Contributors
Introduction
References
Part I Setting the Context
1 The Historiography of the Israel-Palestine Conflict
Polemics and Academics
On the Shortcomings of “Myths Versus Facts”
Objectivity and Bias in Academe
Israel’s “New Historians”
The “Missed-Opportunities” Approach
Trends in Palestinian and Israeli Historiography
Notes
Recommended Readings
Questions for Discussion
References
2 How It Began: Origins of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Palestine Before Zionism
Russian Jews Before Zionism
First Encounters
The Civilizational Divide
Violent Clashes
Fighting Back
Recognizing a Problem
Battle Lines: The Second Aliya and Arab Nationalism
Conclusion
Recommended Readings
Questions for Discussion
References
3 Societal Beliefs, Collective Emotions, and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
The Socio-Psychological Infrastructure of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Societal Beliefs and Collective Emotions Among Jewish-Israelis and Palestinians
Justness of Goals
Delegitimizing the Other
Victimhood
Belief in the Conflict’s Innate Irreconcilability
Challenging Societal Beliefs Using Psychological Interventions
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for the Discussion
References
4 Palestinian Nationalism
From Ottoman to British Rule
Coping With Catastrophe
Nationalist Revival
Under and Against Occupation
During and Against Oslo
Conclusion
Note
Questions for Discussion
References
5 Zionism
“Shlilat Ha-Galut” (Negating the Diaspora)
Nation-Building Versus State-Making
1948: Zionism Dispelled
Zionism Revised
Questions for Discussion
Note
References
6 Radical Asymmetry, Conflict Resolution, and Strategic Engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Radical Material Asymmetry and Conflict Resolution
Radical Conceptual Asymmetry and Conflict Resolution
Radical Strategic Asymmetry and Conflict Resolution
2017–2019: The End of the 1988–2016 International Consensus?
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
Part II Historical Evolution of the Conflict
7 The 1948 War and Its Consequences
Jewish and Palestinian-Arab Preparedness Before the War
United Nations Partition Vote and Initial Fighting
End of the British Mandate and Arab Intervention
Truces and Renewed Fighting
United Nations Armistice Agreements and Conciliation Efforts
Depopulation of Palestine’s Arab Lands
Aftermath: Israel
Aftermath: The Arab World
Conclusion
Questions for Discussion
References
8 The Palestinians and Arab-Israeli Diplomacy, 1967–1991
The Quest for Legitimacy
Camp David and the Triumph of Autonomy
The Lessons of Lebanon
From Intifada to Recognition
Conclusion: The Limits of Self-Determination
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
9 The Oslo Peace Process and the Camp David Summit, 1993–2000
Oslo I
Oslo II Or the Taba Accord
Sharm Al-Sheikh
Wye River Plantation
Camp David II, 2000
Conclusion: The War of Narratives
Notes
Recommended Readings
Questions for Discussion
References
10 The End of Oslo and the Second Intifada, 2000–2005
Breakdown of the Oslo Peace Process
The Second Intifada
Operation Defensive Shield
Constructing Israel’s Security Barrier
Diplomatic Efforts During the Second Intifada
The End of the Second Intifada
Consequences of the Second Intifada
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
11 The Demise of the Peace Process
The Bush Administration
The Obama Administration
The Trump Administration
Conclusion
Note
Questions for Discussion
References
Part III The Key Issues of the Conflict
12 Palestinian Refugees
Introduction
Historical and Legal Background to the Palestinian Refugee Problem
United Nations Response, the Problem of Definitions and United Nations Agency Mandates
Status and Conditions of Palestinians in Host States
Efforts at Negotiations and Key Issues to Be Resolved
Right of Return: For Whom and to Where?
Restitution of Property and Compensation for Losses
Summary of Negotiations Over the Key Issues
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
13 Jerusalem
Introduction
From the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan to the 1948 War and the Partition of Jerusalem
The 1967 War and the Israeli Annexation
Multi-border City
The Oslo Agreements
Permanent Status Negotiations
From Secretary Kerry’s Failure to Trump’s Breaking of United States Commitments
Questions for Discussion
References
14 The Israeli Settlements: Past, Present, and Future
Introduction
The Settlements – Historical Background and Terminology
The First Steps
The Suburbanization of Settlement Policy
The Settlements Between the Two Intifadas
After the Intifadas
Conclusion: Settlements as the Production of Territory
Questions for Discussion
References
15 Economic Liberalisation Versus National Liberation
A Neo-Gramscian Political Economy Approach
Neoliberal Hegemony in Post-Oslo Palestine
Palestinian State Formation Under Neoliberalism
Formation of a “Historical Bloc”
Palestinian Globalised Elites
The Professionalisation of Palestinian Civil Society
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
16 The Power of Water in Palestinian-Israeli Relations
A Contemporary Snapshot
Water Sources and Access Control
Water as a Lever of Power
How Did This Situation Arise?
Colonialism
Geography and Environmental Imaginaries
Technology
Scarcity, Stewardship, and Power
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
17 Security in the Israel-Palestine Conflict: Applying a Territorial Prism
Introduction
Israel and Palestine: Two Conflicting Conceptions of Security
Security as a Core Israeli Concern
Security, Territory, and Peace: Israel’s Awkward Triumvirate
Two Occupations, Two Outcomes: The West Bank and Gaza Strip
Questioning the Security-Territory Dyad: Israel Leaves Gaza
Security and Territory Reunited: Why Israel Retains the West Bank
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
18 The Role of Religion and Interreligious Dialogue in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The Negative Role Played By Radical Judaism and Extremist Islam in the Conflict
Religious Nationalist and Ultra-Orthodox Judaism
Extremist Islam in Palestine and the Region
Some Positive Developments in Interreligious Dialogue as a Form of Peacebuilding
The Religious Peace Initiative
A Muslim Palestinian Approach to Peacebuilding
An Interfaith Youth Movement of Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews
Some Thoughts for the Future
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
Part IV The Local Dimensions of the Conflict
19 The Palestinian National Movement and the Struggle Within
Introduction
The National Institutions
The Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestinian Authority and the 2006 Election Bombshell
The Road to Division
Palestinian Rule of Gaza and the West Bank After the Division
The Main Palestinian Groups
Fatah
Hamas
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Refugee Representation
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
20 Israeli Domestic Politics and the Challenges of Peacemaking
Domestic Actors and Their Worldviews
Israel’s Political Institutions
Domestic Politics and Peacemaking at the End of the Twentieth Century
Domestic Politics and Peacemaking in the Twenty-First Century
Settlements and the Consolidation of Territorial Control
Conclusion
Questions for Discussion
References
21 Palestinian Citizens of Israel
Settler-colonialism, Indigenous Resistance, and the Palestinian Citizens of Israel
The Struggle to Remain
The Struggle Against Elimination
Dual Struggles Since 2000
Conclusion
Questions for Discussion
References
22 Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State
Introduction
The Partition Plan
Israel’s Declaration of Independence
The Nature of Israel’s Democracy
On the Concept of Liberal Democracy
Featuring Israel’s Democracy
Epilogue: Israel’s Democracy and the Arab Minority Citizens
Questions for Discussion
Notes
References
23 Civil Society and Citizen-To-Citizen Diplomacy
Introduction
Israeli and Palestinian Civil Society: A Brief Overview
Citizen-to-citizen Diplomacy and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Assessing the Impact of Civil Society
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
24 Feminist Activism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Assessing the Current Context
A History of Feminist Peace and Anti-Occupation Activism
Early National and Women’s Liberation Politics, 1970s and 1980s
The Oslo Peace Process and Feminist Transversal Coalitions, 1990s
Feminist Activism in the Post-Peace Process Period
Identity, Intersectionality, and Feminist Coalitions
Conclusion
Note
Questions for Discussion
References
Part V The International Dimensions of the Conflict
25 The United Nations and International Law
Introduction
The Arab-Israeli Wars
The Israel-Palestine Peace Process
UN Declarations and Investigations: From Legitimation to Delegitimation
Security Council
General Assembly
Subsidiary Organs and the International Criminal Court
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
26 The Arab World and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
Introduction
The Arab World and the Conflict: Five Phases
The Arab World and the Conflict: Levels of Analysis
The Arab League and the Conflict
Conclusion
Questions for Discussion
References
27 The European Union and the Conflict
Background
The Limits to Coherence
Transatlantic Relations
From Camp David to the Creation of the Quartet: the Middle East in Flux
2002–2007: Crises and Opportunities
The Collapse of the Peace Process and the Challenges Ahead
Notes
Recommended Reading
Questions for Discussion
28 American Approaches to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Introduction
The Parameters and Underpinnings of United States Policy
The Palestine-Centric Approach
The Israel-Centric Approach
The Strategic Approach
The ‘Diplomatic Approach’
Conclusion
Questions for Discussion
References
29 The Israel Lobby and Relations Between the American Jewish Community and Israel
Introduction
Existing Literature On the Israel Lobby
What Is the Israel Lobby?
American Jews and the Israel Lobby
The Israel Lobby and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The Israel Lobby and Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations
Conclusion
Questions for Discussion
References
30 Russia and the Israel-Palestine Conflict
Introduction
Soviet Engagement in the Israel-Palestine Conflict
Russia, the Middle East Quartet and the Israel-Palestine Issue 1992–2010
The Arab Spring and the Marginalisation of the Israel-Palestine Issue
Russia and the Israel-Palestine Issue Today
Conclusion
Questions for Discussion
References
Part VI The Other Images of the Conflict
31 Israeli and Palestinian Public Opinion and the Two-State Solution: Paradigm Or Window?
Pre-peace Process: An Emerging Scenario of Two States
The Oslo Years: Legitimisation of an Idea
Palestinians Under Oslo
Israeli Jews Under Oslo.
The Paradigmatic Years
Israeli Jewish Society
Palestinian Society
The Decline: Disintegration of Process, Faith, and Support
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
32 Popular Culture in Israel/Palestine
Introduction
Undercover
Revolutionary Sounds
New Cinema
Next, the Stars
Conclusion
Questions for Discussion
References
33 Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Introduction
Key Debates Surrounding BDS
The Question of Anti-Semitism
The Question of Academic Freedom and Free Speech
Israel’s International Image: The Legitimacy Wars
Lawfare in Action
Effectiveness of BDS Campaigns
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
34 The Conflict On Campus
Introduction
Early Interventions: From Statehood to the Six-Day War
The First Wave: 1967 and Its Aftermath
Repression and Reconfiguration: From the 1973 War to the End of Oslo
The Second Wave: BDS and Its Discontents
Conclusion
Notes
Questions for Discussion
References
35 Teaching and Learning About the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in Israel
Introduction
The Conflict in Citizenship and History Education in Israel
Recent Developments
The Ethno-Religious Shift
The Neoliberal Shift
Responses to the Ethnonational and Neoliberal Shifts
Teachers’ Resistance Against Censoring and Avoidance
The Arab-Palestinian Struggle for Recognition
Conclusion
Note
Questions for Discussion
References
36 Studying the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
One: Studying
Jerusalem
Refugees
Land
Security
Two: Psychology
Three: Discussion
Four: Neutrality
Benefits
Visiting the Region
Conclusions
Questions for Discussion
References
Part VII Conclusion
37 Samson’s Fall and Solomon’s Judgement: Feelings and Fairness in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Introduction
Samson’s Fall
The Fantasy: Omnipotence
The Fault: Trust and Betrayal
The Fear: Humiliation and Death
The Faith-Fueled Fury: Killing in the Name of God
Solomon’s Judgement
Conclusions: From Existential Conflict to Coexistence?
Recommended Reading
Questions for Discussion
References
Index
