JEWISH IDENTITY, SACRED SPACE, AND JUSTICE: INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES ON THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT

Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 reignited a conflict that has been going on for more than seventy years, with origins going back even further. With a death toll of 1,200, October 7 represents “the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust.” Israel’s response, a destructive aerial attack, killed over 20,000 Palestinians. What began as an unprecedented shock has evolved into a prolonged military campaign with the Israeli military being the occupying force. Weekly reports of bombardment and civilian casualties continue to shape the conflict to this day and have created an escalating humanitarian crisis. At the basis of the conflict are competing historical, religious, and nationalist claims which have caused divides between Jewish and Palestinian people for a long time. These claims and narratives are entangled, and it is very hard to pass any definite judgment on who might have a more legitimate right over the land and who is in the right or wrong regarding the conflict. Both Jewish and Palestinian people have deep connections to the land. However, the global outrage following October 7 has intensified emotional responses to the conflict, to the point where polarized and one-sided narratives seem to be dominating global political discourse, whether they are pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian. The introductory section of this portfolio engages with the popular pro-Palestinian narrative, and that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The following two sections show why such a judgment should be made more carefully (1.1) and why ending the conflict is not as easy as Israel lifting its military occupation in Gaza (1.2). Section 1.3 shows how media portrayal of the conflict contributes to such oversimplifications, with section 1.4 offering evidence regarding the consequences they can have. Chapter 2 bridges the gap to the 3 seminar papers that form core of this portfolio and states the thesis statement.