Various countries and people have an interest in the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians as the events that occur and the outcome have a ripple effect that is global. There are many opinions over how to solve the dispute and the violence; but, we need to stop relying on the politicians to change the situation and start influencing individual everyday people. Using this bottom-up approach would be the most effective method of achieving peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
The top-down approach has and continues to fail in achieving peace in the region. Essentially the top-down method conceives of or treats an individual an individual as a product of his or her society. Therefore, the greatest way to induce change is to start at the top, which is the leaders. This method has been tried in peace talks with Israel and Palestine, and it has failed. During the Clinton administration there were multiple attempts at peace talks with various leaders from Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine. However, these talks never fully succeeded because when one leader was willing to make a concession, the other one was not. The leaders’ failure to compromise stemmed from a fear of losing power because followers would disagree with the concessions that would be made (Indyk). The top’s fear of the bottom results in a status quo with both sides living in fear because the leaders are afraid of a loss of their power if the population does not agree with their decisions.
Despite the failure of the top-down method, there is hope in the bottom-up approach. This is more of a grassroots effort in order to change the individuals within the societies. The bottom-up philosophy supposes that society is shaped by the individuals within the society. By changing the attitude of the individual, the government will change. Israeli Jews fear the Palestinian and Hamas suicide bombers that destroy the lives of civilians. Palestinians resent the Jewish occupation of what they deem as their land. They also fear the Israeli military who even shot at children throwing stones at Israeli tanks (Promises). Actions taken by both sides cause each to feel victimized and desire vengeance against who they view as perpetrators. Israeli and Palestinian societies are saturated with assumptions about each other. For there to be peace both groups must be willing to challenge their prejudices and overcome fears of each other. The Emmy Award winning documentary “Promises” illustrates the ability of individuals to overcome their fear and prejudices and meet with the “other” in an attempt to discuss the conflict.
The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is very much a global issue and a great many countries have interests in the outcome. While such a grassroots effort would take time and a willingness to try, it can lead to a peace in the region.
References
Indyk, Martin. Lecture. Israel-Palestine Conflict. University of North Florida, Jacksonville. 23 Sept. 2008.
Promises. Dir. Justine Shapiro, B.Z. Goldberg and Carlos Bolado. 2001.
Free Speech and Academic Engagement
13 years ago
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