Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Deeper Look

by Micah Schuurman

Many of you attended the Town Hall Meeting to discuss Blood Brothers, the story of a Palestinian growing up in occupied Israel. The focus of the meeting was a panel discussion involving Dr. Doug Howard, Rev. Albert Hamstra and myself. The three of us gave our general reactions to the book and answered a number of questions about how one should properly understand the book and its relationship with what is happening on the ground in Israel and the West Bank today.

The discussion was helpful in that it introduced attendees to a number of themes in the conflict which tend to receive little attention in the United States. However, there was little time to discus broader themes of the conflict. Some people may have left the discussion wondering, “What now? Are we supposed to hate Israel?”

I do not pretend to have a comprehensive understanding of the conflict. My knowledge is limited. However, I can offer a few “big picture” themes that may help those of you who wish to understand more fully the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Three themes dominate my perspective of the conflict: imperialism, divorce and marriage.

Regarding imperialism, it is helpful to compare Israel’s control of Gaza and the West Bank to other situations in recent history. In brief, Israel wishes to set up a government in the West Bank and Gaza that is not hostile to Israel. Israel is seeking to do this by force, punishing the Gazans for having the audacity to vote for Hamas, and punishing the West Bank for its two Intifadas.

How well have such imperialistic endeavors worked in recent history? In the years since WWII, the United States and Europe have pulled out of India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, the Middle East and almost all of Africa. The Soviet Union’s attempt to control Eastern Europe and central Asia (including Afghanistan) has come to an end. Indeed, people often forget that England pulled out of Israel in 1948 because it found that it was unable to control the restless population.

In recent history, only one nation comes close to succeeding in an imperialistic venture. China does indeed seem to be maintaining its grip on Tibet. Yet, even here, Tibet is hardly a success story. Internationally and domestically, Tibet remains a thorn in China’s flesh.

This means that there is very little hope that Israel will be able to break the will of the Palestinian people through the use of force. Putting hope in the use of force to achieve imperialistic ends is nothing short of the severest idealism. You can’t win hearts and minds through shock and awe.

Another theme in the conflict is that of divorce. Israelis and Palestinians share the same house. They want to be separated. But, the final details of the separation have yet to be decided.

When getting a divorce, the two parties understand the basic principles of bargaining. They start by demanding everything: “I want the house, I want the car, I want the dog, I want the frequent flyer miles, I want the bread box, I want the bookshelf...” Both sides claim as much as they possibly can, knowing that they will end up somewhere in the middle.

This is what Israel and Palestine are doing right now. They are both frantically searching for new things to “claim” now and then “give up” in the final deal. This is why Israel is so set on building and expanding settlements. Israel doesn’t intend to keep all of the settlements. Most likely, they will pull out most of the settlements that are in the heart of the West Bank, keeping the ones that surround Jerusalem, effectively ensuring that Jerusalem will remain under exclusive Israeli control. In the final agreements, Israel will likely say something like, “Look, we pulled out some of the settlements. You can’t expect us to give up all of our settlements. Let’s meet half-way. It’s only fair.”

The same goes for suicide bombings and rocket attacks. Maintaining these attacks will give Palestine some leverage in the peace process. The Palestinian officials will be able to say, “Look, we’ll stop the attacks, but you have to give us something in return... something big...”

This perspective is useful in understanding almost every nasty thing that the Palestinians and Israelis do to each other.

But, this perspective is not complete. While the illustration of a divorce is helpful, one must keep in mind that the Arab-Israeli conflict is also like a marriage, a very unhappy marriage.

Israel is half the size of the Netherlands. Yet, two people groups claim it as their home. Short of large-scale ethnic cleansing, both Palestinians and Israelis will have to live together, side by side until the end of the world. They share a common future. Either both sides will prosper or both sides will fail.

In war, both sides will fail. So long as war continues, both Gaza and the West Bank will continue to be practically uninhabitable. So long as war continues, Israelis will not feel secure. In peace, both sides will prosper. Israel will thrive with a nearly endless supply of cheap labor. In turn, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank will thrive. At last they will be able to work, feed their families, and live relatively normal lives.

Israel and Palestine share a common fate. All hope for a positive future (short of Christ’s return) lies in both sides recognizing this fact. Once they realize that they both stand to gain more by peace than by war, everyone will want peace.

These themes, imperialism, divorce, and marriage are not the only themes in the Arab-Israeli conflict. I have found these perspectives helpful and they have served me very well. Hopefully the can be of use to you as well.

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