Perhaps no contemporary political struggle is as intricate as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; a dispute that has persisted for nearly a century, claiming thousands of lives and displacing millions of people. This conflict, akin to a chronic wound in the body of the Middle East, continues to bleed and persist, even holding the potential to escalate into another global war, dragging numerous countries and populations into its vortex and leaving the specter of a humanitarian crisis in its wake.
From certain perspectives, this conflict shares commonalities with other well-known global disputes, involving geopolitical and geo-economic factors at regional and international levels. However, what sets it apart, elevating it from a conventional conflict is the profound intertwining of religion and politics. This deep entanglement has propelled the conflict beyond the realm of conventional disputes, infusing it with a sanctified and metaphysical dimension in the eyes of both sides. The religious dimension of this conflict and the intricacy of its ritualistic aspects have rendered unraveling its complexities through familiar methods of human conflicts seemingly impossible, perplexing even seasoned political experts.
The most heartbreaking aspect of this conflict is its human toll, with victims predominantly being civilians, including children, women, the elderly, and ordinary people – primarily Palestinian Muslims, but also some Jews and Christians residing in the region. These individuals are, in fact, not aligned with any front in this conflict. This ongoing dispute has deprived millions of Palestinians of a natural life and their fundamental rights. Multiple generations are condemned to live in fear, oppression, discrimination, displacement, or exile. While their inherent human right is a peaceful life, a stable future, and an independent nation, their children deserve to grow in an environment free from war, suppression, siege, and deprivation. They deserve no discrimination, humiliation, or threats, and there is no justification for perpetuating this painful status quo for them.
But why has this dilemma become so complex? To find an answer to this question, we must delve into its deeper roots. The land known today as Palestine and Israel hold equal sanctity and significance for all three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is a place of violence and divine command. These religions are like members of a family with abundant interconnections, especially Islam and Judaism, which, according to religious scholars, share more similarities than any other faith. The current contested geography is considered the Promised Land and the former site of Solomon’s Temple for Jews, akin to Mecca for Muslims. For Christians, this land is the birthplace of Jesus Christ and the site of the holiest church in Christian history, the Church of the Resurrection; where, according to their belief, he was crucified. For Muslims, it is one of the three holiest sanctuaries, the site of the Prophet Muhammad’s Night Journey and their first qibla (direction of prayer). These beliefs, albeit part of the mythologies of these religions, have not been fully substantiated by historians, or at least, there is still insufficient evidence to prove all of them conclusively. The blending of history and mythology continues to shape the narratives around this contested territory.
In terms of ethnicities and nations, this land does not exclusively belong to the followers of these three religions. According to historians and archaeologists, various human communities and groups have inhabited this region for more than twenty thousand years, including Canaanites, Babylonians, ancient Palestinians, Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and Arabs. It has undergone several stages of wars and intense invasions, sometimes leading to complete devastation.
The latest phase of these alternating periods of unrest dates back to the early 20th century when the British Empire gained control over it. During an agreement with the Zionist Organization at that time, the decision was made to transfer it to the Jews. Zionism was an organization founded by some Jewish political activists who sought to establish a Jewish state, aiming to end the scattering and vulnerability of Jews worldwide. The founders of this organization consisted of two religious and liberal wings. The liberal wing’s priority was to establish a homeland specifically for the Jewish people wherever the opportunity arose, including Uganda, Argentina, Palestine, or elsewhere. For the religious wing, only Palestine was acceptable, as it was considered the Promised Land where, according to their beliefs, the Messiah would appear. Therefore, Palestine was chosen for this purpose: the expectation of the Messiah of the End Times.
The events that took place between World War I and World War II made the realization of this ideal more possible for the members of this organization than ever before, eventually leading to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Since then, several bloody wars have occurred over this land, the most famous of which were the 1948 war, the 1967 war, and the 1973 war. Two widespread popular uprisings known as intifadas occurred, one in 1978 and the other in 2000, which are other parts of the events related to this conflict. In this regard, various parties and organizations were formed by Muslim and Christian Palestinians to confront Israel, the most important of which is the Palestinian Liberation Organization with a secular approach, and later, Hamas with a fundamentalist approach. After the establishment of the state of Israel, a portion of the world’s Jews migrated there, leading to the formation of various parties, from extremist religious parties to center-right, left-wing, and religious groups uninterested in politics.
On the other hand, various international efforts have been made to end this conflict, but so far, no successful results have been achieved. The most significant effort in this regard was the Oslo Accords, signed in 1993 between the Palestinian Liberation Organization led by Yasser Arafat and the Israeli government led by Yitzhak Rabin. The main content of this agreement was the establishment of a Palestinian government alongside Israel, known as the “Two-State Solution.” The provisions of this agreement were implemented by the Palestinian Liberation Organization, but the fundamentalist factions within Israel did not allow the country’s government to fulfill the Oslo commitments. Their excuse was the presence of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement, which they did not recognize as legitimate entities. The opposition of extremist factions within Israel even led to the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. The motivation behind the opposition of these factions is entirely religious. According to their interpretation, their holiest religious site, known as the Temple Mount/Solomon’s Temple, is located under the Al-Aqsa Mosque or its parts, which has been destroyed twice in the past, once by the Babylonians and once by the Romans. They believe that Muslims built their mosque on top of it. They consider the preservation of this site as something beyond compromise. Other Jewish groups, both leftist and Orthodox Jews, disagree with this approach. Leftist Jews have a secular approach in this regard and support the formation of a shared society of Jews and Muslims, not wanting what is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures about Solomon’s Temple to hinder the coexistence of people. Orthodox Jews, while loyal to their religious texts, interpret them as meaning they should wait until the promised Messiah appears, which is a hidden and beyond-human-will matter, and they should not form a government before his appearance, as no one else except him has the qualifications to establish the government desired by God.
If the Two-State Solution were implemented, and an agreement were reached among the followers of these three religions regarding the holy sites, the main factor of the conflict would be eliminated. This is what most countries in the world, especially Arab and Muslim countries, emphasize. The main obstacle to this is the growing influence of religious extremists on both sides of the equation. Hamas considers opposition to the recognition of the Israeli government as a religious obligation and religious extremists in Israel oppose the formation of a Palestinian government.
The non-implementation of international agreements and United Nations resolutions in this regard has caused the most damage to the Palestinians and put them in a difficult and vulnerable position, exposed to apartheid-like conditions. This situation has frustrated some of them from participating in peace negotiations and provided a recruitment ground for ideological extremist groups like Hamas and the Jihad. On the other side, Jewish extremists in Israel are trying to simplify the matter by reducing Palestinians to Hamas and presenting the entire Palestinian nation as peace-opposing Jihadists, something that moderate Jews do not agree with.
Due to the special status of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem for Muslims worldwide, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and others have entered this case, each trying to highlight their role in the Middle East power balance. In this context, the United States has particularly stood by supporting Israel, creating an international dimension to this dilemma. Because the full support of the United States for Israel provides enough opportunity for Russia and China to ally with some regional political forces and complicate the equations. Local groups like Hamas, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and others are playing a field where regional and international powers are involved. Thus, the Palestinian issue has escalated into a multi-layered problem, and untying this knot becomes harder every day.
Why does the United States government wholeheartedly support Israel? Because a powerful pro-Israel lobby can influence the decision-making systems of the US government. The term “Israel lobby” in America does not encompass all Jews in this country. Part of the pro-Israel lobby in the United States and Europe consists of Christian fundamentalists known as Christian Zionists. Here, the story opens up to another fundamentalist faction. According to their interpretation of religious texts, the disputed land must be under Jewish control, as the appearance of the end-time Messiah is only possible under these conditions. Conversely, Muslim or Christian rule delays his appearance, similar to the belief in Mahdism among Muslims.
Among Jews worldwide, including those in America, both Orthodox and liberal or left-wing factions, oppose Israel’s stance towards Palestinians. They consider the existence of this government unacceptable, although the voices of these groups are less heard amidst the conflict’s chaos. On the other side, among Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims, not everyone opposes the existence of Israel. They want to engage with it as a legitimate country if it adheres to international resolutions and conventions and recognizes the Palestinians’ right to establish their independent state.
Here, the core of this conflict lies within fundamentalist groups among followers of the mentioned three religions, none of which deviate from their apocalyptic ideological positions. They do not entertain alternative interpretations of their religious texts and do not have any readiness for coexistence with others based on equal participation and status. These three currents mutually reinforce each other in an inverted alliance, waiting for the end-time Messiah’s arrival and the establishment of his global rule. Although each Messiah differs from the others, his end-time mission is defined according to the interests of his followers. Extremist Christians expect their Messiah to come and take revenge on Jews for their crucifixion. Extremist Jews anticipate their Messiah to revive the Davidic kingdom for them. Muslim fundamentalists await their Messiah to lead their final battle against Jews. However, the Messiah does not appear, and what happens on Earth is more orphaned children, more widowed women, and more grieving fathers and mothers, with the possibility of an unpredictable global war looming.
A practical solution begins where the core of this conflict is shattered. This can only be achieved when religious groups on all three sides adopt a moral interpretation of their religions, one that excludes vengeance, exclusivism, and apocalyptic dominance. Human rights, in its true sense, must be implemented in a democratic and participatory space regardless of any specific religion or belief. Only through this approach can the fuse of this explosive war be pulled down, offering a way to liberation from the current nightmare that millions are trapped in. Keeping politics out of the domain of religions, and establishing two states for Palestine and Israel within a fair legal framework devoid of any discrimination, accompanied by respect for each other’s religious sites, is the only solution to this bloody conflict.