Due to its intensity and extensive effects both locally and globally the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict has drawn the attention of scholars from numerous disciplines who attempt to explain
the causes of the conflict and the reasons for the difficulties in resolving it. Among these
one can find historians geographers political scientists sociologists and others. This
volume explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a social psychology perspective. At the
core of the book is a theory of intractable conflicts as developed by Daniel Bar-Tal of Tel
Aviv University applied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Opening with an introduction to
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict situation and a few chapters on the theoretical backgrounds of
the creation of a societal ethos of conflict the volume then moves to an analysis of the
psycho-social underpinnings of the conflict while concluding with a discussion of the
possibility of long-standing peace in the region. Among the topics included in the coverage
are: · Identity formation during conflict· The Israeli and Palestinian ethos of conflict · The
important role of Palestinian and Israeli education· An analysis of the leadership in the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process· The challenges and potential towards a road to peace in the
region All contributors to the volume are pre-eminent scholars of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict and many of them have felt the influence of Bar-Tal's formulations in their own work.
A rich resource for those who are followers of Dr. Bar-Tal's work for those who study
intractable conflicts in all its forms and for those who have a particular interest in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict A Social Psychology Perspective of the Israeli-Palestinian Case
offers a detailed exploration of the psychological underpinnings of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict and the barriers to and opportunities of the peace process.
