How Little I Knew
Without really knowing why I remember growing up hearing people say that there will never be peace in the Middle East. I knew that Israel as a nation was re-established after WWII and that there had been conflict over the years that resulted from the Promised Land being given back to Israel. I heard terms such as Palestine, The Seven Day War, and the Camp David Peace Accords, and names such as Yassir Arafat, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas and Hezbollah. However, to be honest it wasn’t until after October 7, 2023, that I really took time to begin to understand the history.
Martin Bunton’s book The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction allowed me to better understand things such as why this isn’t just a religious issue and how this started before 1947/48.[1] I was very unaware of the history of the area during and after the Ottoman Empire and how Jews had been treated in Europe prior to WWII.
Treatment in Europe
Burton suggests that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been evolving over the past 120 years, referring to first Zionist Congress held in Basel Switzerland in August 1897.[2] Burton references Theodor Herzl and his view that “even an assimilated Jew could never be accepted as an equal citizen in Europe.”[3] Besides the Holocaust during WWII, I was not consciously aware of the antisemitism that exited throughout Europe. I guess I should have been aware given that it is addressed in Fiddler on the Roof.[4] I believe this lack assimilation and acceptance is a foundational concept to understand. Once a person realizes how the Jews were not accepted in Europe, One may realize that due to their covenant with God and the lifestyle God called them to observe, the Jews have really never been truly accepted by any culture as seen throughout the Scriptures.[5]
History of Palestine prior to 1947
I really never understood how Britain gained control of the Ottoman Empire after WWI and broke the area up into different nations. Bunton discusses how Britain’s handling of the Palestinian area led to the Palestinians never being able to create their own form of government, helping create a lack of identity and power for the Palestinian people. [6]
I always assumed that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was primarily about religion and Israel’s claim to the Promised Land. I was surprised to read how the right to religious sites such as Jerusalem was not a primary focus. It makes sense that the primary focus was to obtain land that was able to sustain agriculture[7] I also never gave it much thought as to what happened to those who were already living in the land prior to the late 1940’s. I was not naive enough to picture the land sitting empty just waiting for Israel’s return, but I never really considered how this created a refugee crisis with 750,000 Palestinians having to relocate.[8]
As I write this post, Columbia University’s president has announced her resignation due to how she and the University handled the protests regarding the war in Gaza.[9] The rates of Antisemitism have risen substantially in the past few years with almost 24% of those surveyed believing 6 or more anti-Jewish tropes.[10] At the same time, anti-Palestinian and Anti-Muslim discrimination in the United States also saw a substantial increase, over 180% more complaints received in the final months of 2023.[11] Given this, how am I personally handling the Israeli, Palestinian, and Middle East conflicts? I am trying to educate others about the history of the people groups and focus on praying for everyone involved in the conflict. Among my Christian friends, I try to remind them that we have Christian brothers and sisters that are suffering and being killed in Palestine due to this conflict. I remind them that we cannot solely focus on one ethnic group or nationality at the expense of Christian brothers and sisters. After reading Bunton’s book, I have tried to gain empathy for both sides of the conflict by bringing it closer to home. I have pictured the United Nations giving Native Americans back all their historic lands across the United States and any non-Native American resident of the United States who chooses to stay must reside in the state of Virginia or Washington. I then ask the following questions. Would we as American citizens be any less angry than a Palestinian? Think of what happened on January 6, 2021, would we behave any differently if our land was being taken from us? What about the Native Americans who had been ousted from their lands, not accepted as full citizens and want a place to live where they can flourish? Could I (we) blame them for wanting their historic land back and wanting to live in peace?
This isn’t about who is right and who is wrong, neither side is totally innocent. We need to pray for both sides and pray that compromise can happen. We need to pray that both sides can recognize each other’s right to live in the land regardless of beliefs and backgrounds.
[1] Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israel Conflict: A Very Short History, Oxford, UK: Oxford Press, 2013.
[2] Bunton, 1
[3] Bunton, 1.
[4] Isabel de Andrade Bezerra Menezes, “The Historical Background of ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ The Odyssey, https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the-historical-background-of-fiddler-on-the-roof, November 29, 2016.
[5][5] For example, I am thinking about things such as Haman’s desire to execute the Jews in the book of Esther or how the media portrays how the Romans treated the Jews in various films.
[6] Bunton, 23-26.
[7] Bunton, 10-11, 26-27
[8] Bunton, 54-58
[9] Max Matza, “Columbia University President resigns after Gaza Protest Turmoil, BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8431ejnk5o, August 15, 2024.
[10] Anti-Defamation League, Antisemitic Attitudes in America 2024, https://www.adl.org/resources/report/antisemitic-attitudes-america-2024, February 29, 2024.
[11] Times of Israel, “Anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian discrimination in the US rose 180% after Oct. 7,” https://www.timesofisrael.com/anti-muslim-anti-palestinian-discrimination-in-the-us-rose-180-after-oct-7/, January 29, 2024.
About the Author
Jeff Styer
Jeff Styer lives in Northeast Ohio's Amish Country. He has degrees in Social Work and Psychology and currently works as a professor of social work at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Jeff is married to his wife, Veronica, 25+ years. Together they have 4 beautiful children (to be honest, Jeff has 4 kids, Veronica says she is raising 5). Jeff loves the outdoors, including biking, hiking, camping, birding, and recently picked up disc golf.12 responses to “How Little I Knew”
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Hey Jeff, Thank you for your post. This is one subject where we all are students in continuing education? What are some examples of how you are practicing empathy around this hot-button issue?
I am trying not to be too quick to judge either side. I am looking to understand the decisions each side is making. I am researching, including watching videos of what is happening in Gaza to become informed about the suffering that is occurring and also to be able to see the humanness in each person.
Hi Jeff,
I totally agree with your post, ‘What about the Native Americans who had been ousted from their lands, not accepted as full citizens and want a place to live where they can flourish? Could I (we) blame them for wanting their historic land back and wanting to live in peace?’
What parallels do you see between the experiences of Native Americans in the United States and the situation faced by Palestinians, and how do these comparisons inform your understanding of the conflict?
I think there are several parallels, both Native Americans and Palestinians are/were seen as a problem to eradicate. Both potentially live and believe differently than the dominant culture that has taken over their land. Neither really had a say in what happened to their land and how they were treated. One of the biggest differences is that we killed the Native Americans while Palestinians were able to flee to other countries. I think making these comparisons allows me to bring it closer to home, which is something that I really need to do.
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for sharing your ‘before’ and ‘after’. You said you “try” to educate and “try” to remind…Am I reading too much into the word choice, or are you finding these conversations difficult? I am curious to know any ways in which they may be bearing fruit.
I haven’t had a lot of conversations with people regarding this, but I have found that not everyone approaches this topic with an open mind. My family and I have had some great conversations, but I honestly have been hesitant to bring it up with some family members and even some church members due to comments they have made which signals to me that they aren’t interested in hearing any other side.
Hi Jeff,
I appreciated your reference to Fiddler on the Roof. Bunton briefly mentioned ‘psychological barriers’ concerning the conflict and each side’s ‘rightness’. I have found this true when trying to have dialogue with people. I personally find myself hesitant to talk to people about the conflict, especially in North Africa. I found though-provoking your words, “I am trying to educate others about the history of the people groups and focus on praying for everyone involved in the conflict. Among my Christian friends, I try to remind them that we have Christian brothers and sisters that are suffering and being killed in Palestine due to this conflict.” I believe this is another ‘psychological barrier’ that we don’t consider all the people represented in this conflict. What are you doing differently for yourself after Oct. 7th to combat the ‘psychological barriers’ we can so easily create for ourselves? Thanks for a great post!
Elyse,
Prior to Octo 7th I was probably holding the view of Israel being right and Palestine being wrong and not considering other factors. Since then I have sought to consider the plight of our Christian brothers and sisters on both sides. I have watched videos of the aftermath of the bombings in Gaza and considered the number of innocent people. I have also if there is anything either side can do differently given the cultural context. Overall, I guess I am trying to ask more questions before effortlessly forming an opinion.
Jeff, I appreciate your emphasis on needing to look at all sides of the situation. I, too, grew up hearing, “There will never be peace in the Middle East [until Jesus comes back].” What would be your response to that comment now?
Kari,
I would have to agree with that statement, but if I heard someone make that statement, I would question them as to why they believe it to be true. Overall, this is a spiritual issue, but as I learned from Bunton and others, so are so many factors to consider. Educating people about those factors hopefully leads to developing empathy, specifically for the innocent bystanders. Also, I feel that people make that statement to remove any responsibility they have in addressing the issue, which generates the question what is our responsibility? I do not have a firm answer to that question.
Jeff, thank you for your approach in this post. I also gained critical insight when I discovered that the conflict was not exclusively religious. I also appreciate the thought exercise of considering the Native Americans in our own context. I have no questions at this time; I just appreciate your approach.
Hi Jeff,
I appreciate the consideration of how a non-native American might feel if being forced to relocate to DC and native-Americans were given back the full extent of their land. In light of this consideration, I can better understand the complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. If native-Americans had any military backing and power, we could see ourselves in a similar situation. The extent of non-native American and native-American history is short in comparison to history in the middle east – the length of history only adds complexity to the situation.
I’m praying alongside you for the kingdom of God to be manifested in the middle east, just as it is in heaven.