Psychosocial Factors Connected to the Arab-Jewish/Israeli-Palestinian Conflicts

Abstract

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Jewish-Arab divide within the State of Israel have spurned much research over the last 30 years. Scholars, in the fields of social psychology and peace education, focusing on the individual or small group level, have looked to understand the psychosocial factors that can (help) explain why it is so difficult for peoples of the region to resolve the conflict and move toward peaceful coexistence. On a more macro level, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, economists, and human geographers have also explored the conflict by analyzing the interplay between social-political-cultural-economic structures and institutions, the dynamics of the region, and the ongoing violence.