Considering the numerous efforts to reach an agreement between the conflict parties and that all of them failed sooner or later because of specific issues in which none of the parties is ready to compromise – namely Jerusalem, settlements in the West Bank, refugees and the nature of a Palestinian state – one could start to assume that peace will never be reached in the Middle East, especially not in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That assumption however is based on the wrong attitude towards the whole region and the conflict in general. Western societies tend to devolve their own mentality and culture on other world regions and expect the same outcome as they produce in Western cultures. That is not only arrogant but also impossible: The Middle Eastern culture and mentality is completely different than ours and even if one could argue that at least the Israeli state is Western-orientated and comparable to Western democracies, that is definitively not the case for the Arab and Muslim states in the region. Once we realize and accept that those states’ mentality is completely different, we should ask ourselves whether it is really the best way to force the conflict parties to negotiate with each other or to try to impose our values and structures on them. The past has shown that this behavior rather produces a negative outcome and can even exacerbate the situation.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- What history can teach us – if we start to let it
- Stop bringing 'democracy' to the Middle East...
- Iran - how the common threat unifies Israel with the Arab world...
- Why the current situation might be better than it seems
- Conclusion - The solution to the conflict: Let them be..
- Some final and clarifying remarks
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper argues that Western democracies, particularly the U.S., should cease attempting to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instead of seeking a one- or two-state solution, which is perceived as misguided and ineffective, the focus should shift to allowing the parties to find their own path to peace.
- The futility of Western interventions in the Middle East
- The importance of understanding cultural differences and avoiding imposing Western values
- The need to recognize the current situation might not be as bleak as portrayed by Western media
- The historical context of the conflict and its impact on present-day dynamics
- The potential benefits of allowing the conflict parties to find their own solutions
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the author's argument that Western efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are misguided and ultimately harmful. The failure of previous peace negotiations and the inherent cultural differences between the West and the Middle East are highlighted.
- What history can teach us if we start to let it: This chapter examines historical instances of rapprochement and conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. It argues that Western involvement, particularly the U.S., has often exacerbated the conflict rather than facilitated peace. The example of the 2006 Palestinian elections and the rise of Hamas is used to illustrate this point.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The paper centers around the themes of Arab-Israeli relations, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Western intervention in the Middle East, cultural differences, peace negotiations, and the historical context of the conflict. The focus is on the limitations of external intervention and the potential for the conflict parties to find their own solutions.
- Quote paper
- Anna Fuchs (Author), 2011, A Different Solution to the Arab Israeli Conflict: Let them be., Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/211621
