The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is undoubtedly a caustic and divisive issue. Due to the continuing complex hostilities, many people seem to have an expectation that if someone supports one, they must, therefore, be against the other. Perhaps this also originates from cultural identities in the region that have been founded on hatred of the ‘other’ or as a victim as we discussed in the course. Such an environment breeds an “us” versus “them” mentality with little room for compromise or discussion. When that type of mentality develops and becomes the norm, it would be extremely challenging to recognize the mentality in yourself and reexamine flaws on either side. Some may argue that support for Israel is anti-Palestinian because you’re inherently approving displacement of the Palestinian people. I would argue that the state of Israel has allowed many different peoples to live together and flourish including non-Jewish people, many of which are Arabs. Palestinians could be included in that future, no longer a displaced people, and live in their lands, if only both groups could live side by side.
