The nature of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict: Distinguishing Myth from Reality
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international relations
research papers
date published 09/02/2008
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level : Advanced
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Historical narratives are often times fragile and subject to mythification. Especially
vulnerable are the ones in which interests between two groups collide, violent disputes are common
and the nature of the conflict is highly complex and distinctively unique. In those cases various
versions of the story emerge and facts become increasingly colored and embellished. The conflict
between Israel and Palestine, or should I say the Arab-Israeli conflict, or the Palestinian question, falls
into the category of disputes enveloped in an aura of mysteriousness and nebulously interpreted facts.
To narrow down the actual nature of the conflict is a serious challenge, a fact which adds to its alleged
insolubility and renders it difficult to manage. This paper examines the different perspectives from
which the conflict can be examined and analyzes the ways in which the influences of foreign powers
and local leadership have greatly contributed to how the conflict has been created and shaped over
the years. As a result of the multiple dimensions the conflict has assumed throughout its development,
the various standpoints from which it is now viewed are widely dissimilar thus greatly impacting the
conflict resolution methods employed in attempting to resolve it.

