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Chasing the Wind: Clashes Between Israeli and Palestinian Narratives

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Part of the Perspectives on Development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region book series (PDMENA)

Abstract

The consequences of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war continue to resonate in modern times. The Palestinians and the Israelis are stuck in an all-consuming conflict over territory, sovereignty and identity, with no end in sight. Two clashing and seemingly irreconcilable metanarratives present in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict revolve around what happened in 1948 with the formation of the state of Israel. The Palestinian narrative describes a people unjustly deprived of its land by invaders, whereas, on the other hand, the Israeli narrative, depicts the justified return of a historically dispossessed diaspora to the land of its ancestors. There is little understanding, respect or acknowledgement of what the other side perceives to be its narrative. These accounts rest on a number of ideological, religious and strategic layers that are at times intertwined. This chapter examines how the Israelis and the Palestinians have constructed their metanarratives, how they inform the policies and practices of their respective governments, and concludes with reflections on the prospects for a resolution of the conflict.

Keywords

Israel Palestinians Middle East conflict Peace Process Metanarratives 
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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.The Finnish Institute of International AffairsHelsinkiFinland

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