Photo by Efi Sharir of the Intifada in Gaza Strip, taken on December 21, 1987. (Creative Commons)
By Dana Penrice
What lies at the feet of humanity today is the work of learning to address our species’ most pernicious and destructive tendencies. This is an invitation to pick up that work and grapple with some difficult questions.
Why do countries find themselves in conflict and what is an appropriate way to manage it? Why are states compelled to act in self-interest at the expense of the humanitarian rights they espouse? How do identities and allegiances perpetuate conflict? Why does genocide still persist? When conflict ends, how do communities live alongside one another? How should justice be applied? How do countries achieve real, lasting peace? How do they reconcile and build mutual respect and understanding? How do we prevent it from happening again?
These are questions that cannot be left solely to academics and certainly not to politicians. Nations have tried to solve such problems with task forces, international conferences, agreements and institutions, yet they have not been enough. But that does not mean that these efforts are for naught. Human progress is a result of a continuous flow of learning and development across many different socio-cultural settings, groups, individuals and fields of endeavour. We are all part of this venture. Through individual and collective efforts, progress is built on extending the adaptive capacities of previous generations and passing them on to the next.1
Adaptive Capacity: the ability to accurately assess situation dynamics and adjust existing capacities, resources, priorities and responsibilities to effectively meet the changing field of threats and opportunities.
By understanding this process of human development and the dynamics behind progress and resistance to progress, we can individually and collectively act more wisely for the good of humanity. It is through these efforts that we will come to answer these questions. The motivation behind this pursuit begins with a simple idea: that we can do better— that we, as humanity, must do better especially in the face of harm, waste, suffering, and injustice.
What follows is my own effort to do better. When faced with my ignorance about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I became motivated to learn more. I began to read broadly and deeply on the subject. I read history, biographies, contemporary accounts, news articles, academic pieces, and listened to podcasts. The ground I covered is compiled in an annotated bibliography that follows. As I explored, I used the discipline of Human Learning Ecology and began to develop an interpretive framework for understanding geopolitical conflict in a more sophisticated way.
I know that I still have many gaps in my understanding to fill but what I hope is that this offers trailheads to push back your own ignorance and to find your place in the collective effort to progress humanity forward. I share this to encourage those who care deeply, who want to understand and who seek a better way forward, to keep going. Done with care and in earnest, your efforts contribute to our collective push for progress in answering the big questions we need to ask for humanity going forward.
This bibliography is not complete but it is an attempt to build a comprehensively sufficient understanding beyond the surface level to see the deeper causal architecture of the dynamics of conflict and peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are many great resources that I am likely missing and I envision that this list will need to be revised as myself and the Human Venture community discover more.
History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Beginning to understand an international conflict can be overwhelming. Where do you start? A historical primer provides touch points of significant events and key players. Information and ideas often need to be held provisionally so they can be tested against other accounts to determine their reliability and validity. Humans have a tendency to dismiss information that doesn’t fit into our existing understanding and biases. Being aware of this bias can help us be open to new information.
“The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know” by Don Waxman; Oxford University Press, 2019.
This book attempts to give an objective account of the unfolding conflict. It provides a grounding in the overall situation and scaffolding on which to organize and hang more detailed accounts and analysis from other resources. It will help the reader to understand something about what happened in 1948 and 1967, the Balfour Declaration, the origins of Zionism and significant efforts to make peace.
“Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History” by Nur Masalha; Bloomsbury Publishing, 2003.
This book provides a deep history going back to the beginning of written records of the region now known as Israel and Palestine. The book covers the rich history of societies and cultures that inhabited the region and the major developments that shaped that history.
“Jerusalem: A Biography” by Simon Sebag Montefiore; Vintage Books, 2011.
Jerusalem is a city at the centre of the ancient history of the region. This book provides a deep history into the city through to more contemporary times. This book covers the leaders and power struggles that influenced the region, its people and organized religion.
Origins of the Israel-Palestine Conflict by Empire Podcast; Goalhanger Podcasts, 2023.
Hosts William Dalrymple and Anita Anand discuss the Balfour Declaration in 1917 and the British Mandate with historian Tom Segev. He describes it as an irrational decision made with little knowledge of the territory and of the people who live there. At one point, the British were seen as liberators by both the Arabs and the Jews however the Balfour Declaration marked a decision to support the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
Al-Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe directed by Rawan Damen; Al Jazeera English YouTube, 2013.
This video series covers the period leading up to and following the 1948 Nakba. The second episode particularly lays out the ways that Britain facilitated the 1948 displacement, imprisonment and death of hundreds of thousands of Arabs through colonial techniques and militarism. It outlines the development of military and intelligence capacity by Israelis following World War II.
“The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” by Ilan Pappé; Oneworld Publications, 2007.
Israeli historian Pappé chronicles the years 1947 to 1949, known as the Nakba, where villages were destroyed and Palestinians were displaced and killed. The book supported a reframing of the events as a war to viewing it as ethnic cleansing. It details the historical objectives of the Zionist movement, failed UN negotiations, and the development of Plan Dalet which laid out Israel’s military strategy in 1948. This book is foundational in understanding the human rights violations of that time period.
The Promise by Peter Kosminsky; Channel 4, 2001.
This four part historical fiction mini-series follows a young British woman who discovers her grandfather’s diary that chronicles his time as a British soldier in Palestine leading up to 1948 when they pulled out of the country. The series flips back and forth between the grandfather’s time period leading up to the 1948 Nakba and the young woman’s trip to the region. The viewer gains perspectives on historical and contemporary thinking among Jews, Palestinians and British. Especially for the uninitiated, this is a good introduction to the tensions and realities of this conflict.
“The Hundred Year’s War on Palestine” by Rashid Khalidi; Metropolitan Books, 2020.
This book is a unique account that weaves together history with personal accounts from Khalidi’s family that includes prominent figures in Palestinian society. The opening includes an exchange between Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, mayor of Jerusalem, and Zionist leader Theodore Herzl where Yusuf Diya predicts the perils that will come with the displacement of the Palestinian people. This book covers the significant conflicts since 1917.
“Can we Talk about Israel? A Guide for the Curious, Confused and Conflicted” by Daniel Sokatch; Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021.
This book provides an introduction to the nuanced perspectives of Israelis and Palestinians with regards to the history of the people of the region and why they hold different views on what should be done going forward. This illustrated book is engaging and accessible for the uninitiated.
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in Recent Decades
Understanding a conflict, or any situation for that matter, comes down to three questions: How did things come to be? What is happening now? Where could the situation be headed? These may seem like simple, answerable questions, however it is much more difficult when you realize that the answers vary widely among the different entities involved. Each has a different interpretation based on their beliefs and values, their identity and allegiances, and their intentions and motivations. The battle is not just fought on the ground, it is a battle of narratives. To really understand the situation, one must take in information broadly to understand the various perspectives and how people came to think and act the way they do. To manage and mitigate conflict, we must understand how people are making sense of the situation and that requires discipline, patience and persistence to listen to all sides including those we may not readily listen to.
“On Palestine” by Noam Chomsky, Ilan Pappé and Frank Barat; Haymarket Books, 2015.
This dialogue between Chomsky and Pappé provides the reader with an understanding of significant issues and points of contention in the conflict. They provide insights into the orienting story and objectives of the Israeli, Palestinian and American leadership and how certain policies and strategies are impacting the population today. They discuss the progress and constraints of various activist efforts and make comparisons to South African apartheid. Pappé provides a “new dictionary” that is especially helpful in understanding the conflict in contemporary times. They explore the implications of possible solutions like one-state or two-state solutions and what it would take to get there.
“Footnotes in Gaza” by Joe Sacco; Metropolitan Books, 2010.
Through graphic journalism the author depicts daily life in Rafah and Khan Younis located in Gaza. He interviews residents about the events of 1956 when Israel invaded the region. The book records the long held trauma of the destruction of homes and lives during this period.
“The Punishment of Gaza” by Gideon Levy; Verso, 2010.
This book includes observations and reflections from an Israeli journalist from 2006, a period of so-called liberation for Palestine, to 2009, when Israel invaded Gaza. The author describes shootings, bombings and massacres that happened in this period. Along with comments on Israeli policy, the author reflects on how difficult it is for Israeli journalists to enter into Gaza to report back an accurate account of events to the Israeli public.
Gaza Under Blockade by On the Nose Podcast; Jewish Currents, 2022.
An interview with Miriam Marmur and Israeli and Director of Public Advocacy for Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement and an anonymous Palestinian writer living in Gaza. This podcast episode provides a snapshot on how Israeli policies of the blockade and ongoing bombardment are impacting daily life in Gaza. Part of the discussion centers on how the Israeli regime doesn’t see that it has any responsibilities on the ground in Gaza following the 2005 disengagement plan when Israel withdrew from the strip. Gisha shows that even though Israel was not physically in Gaza, it still had control and has legal obligations to protect human rights. However, the regime is really only focused on seeing Gaza as a threat to security and implementing policy on that. Marmur says that existing policies are ineffective as they do not make her feel more secure as an Israeli.
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Leading Up to and Since October 7th, 2023
To develop a robust interpretation of a conflict we must look to both the past and the present. What is happening on the ground has an urgency to it that demands our attention. But with an eye on both the historical context and the current events, we can better understand the developmental path of how the conflict came to be. It can help us to decipher what is most significant to pay attention to and judge the trustworthiness of sources of information.
Keeping up with the daily events can be difficult when you aren’t directly involved in the conflict. Our attention gets pulled in other directions and so it requires intention and discipline to dig beyond the headlines. It can also be existentially exhausting to continually be affronted by human atrocities so it is important to take care but not look away. While conflicts demonstrate the worst of humanity, they have also been sources of examples of the best of humanity where people overcome their situations and their prejudices.
51 Days by This American Life; WBEZ Chicago, 2024.
This episode tells the story of Chen Almog-Goldstein who was kidnapped by Hamas. She shares details of the attack and being in captivity. She talks about conversations with her captives and their eventual release 51 days later.
Lives turned upside down by the Oct. 7 attacks by The Current; CBC, 2024.
Host Matt Galloway speaks with people affected by the October 7th attack. He spoke with Aharon Brodutch whose family members were taken hostage for 51 days. This interview provides the perspective of what it is like to live through threats to security in Israel. He discusses his desire for the government to change their priorities to focus on getting hostages back and making peace.
Ta-Nehisi Coates on Israel: I Felt Lied to by the Ezra Klein Podcast; New York Times, 2024.
Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ezra Klein both recently visited the West Bank on separate trips. This conversation explores where they shared similar observations and where they diverged in their interpretation. Ta-Nehisi wrote a book of essays about his trip called “The Message” and shares his reflections on the similarities of America’s history of oppression. The two don’t always agree through this interview. It demonstrates a thoughtful discourse between two people and the nuance of meaning making that is happening with regard to the conflict.
Leadership
“Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinians Resistance” by Tareq Baconi; Board of Trustees of the Leland Sanford Junior University, 2018.
This book covers the emergence of different leadership entities representing the Palestinian society and the development of Hamas. Using accounts from the organization’s publications and others, including the Muslim Brotherhood, PLO and Fatah, it lays out Hamas’ establishment as a military resistance movement and a political and governance entity. The author introduces key individuals, decisions and events in Hamas’ development as an organization responding to Israeli policies and actions.
“A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion” by Tom Negev; Picador, 2020.
This book is a biography of Ben-Gurion, a key figure in the establishment of Israel as a state. It includes Ben-Gurion’s emergence through the Zionist movement and as a political figure. It depicts his commitment to the creation of a Jewish state and his role in the decisions that shaped the region.
Golda by Guy Nattiv; Embankment Films, 2023.
A biopic of Golda Meir, the Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974 and known as the ‘Iron Lady’ of Israel. This film follows events in her office during the Yom Kippur war between Israel and a coalition of Arab States led by Egypt and Syria. The film reminds the viewer that Israel must contend with being surrounded by Arab nations, not only Palestine. The film shows the immense devastation that comes with war and the difficult burdens that leaders carry as a result of their decisions.
“Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu” by Anshel Pfeffer; Signal, 2018.
A biography of the current Prime Minister of Israel, this book covers his rise to the pinnacle of Israeli politics. The author explores his worldview and how it was shaped by different influences. It looks at how others see Netanyahu’s leadership and role in the global community.
Geopolitical Positioning
Other nations and international bodies are significant players in conflict. Understanding their motivations and allegiances helps to explain the actions that we see them taking. Other nations play a major role in these conflicts as they can provide weapons or they can provide aid to the victims of conflict. They can fund a war or they can impose economic sanctions. They can vote in support or against UN resolutions to take a stance. And, often confusingly, they take these different actions and contradict themselves. Like any entity, they are positioning to take advantage of opportunities and manage threats, however how they frame these is key. We often see states espousing humanitarian values on the international stage but when it comes down to it they often act out of self-interest.
“Except for Palestine: the Limits of Progressive Politics” by Marc Lamont Hill and Mitchell Plitnick; The New Press, 2021.
This book explores how Palestine is often treated differently by the United States and its politicians. It covers the decision Donald Trump made to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the decision to revoke funding from UNRWA. This book demonstrates how there are high levels of path dependence, less freedom of action, lower resourcefulness and resilience among U.S. policy makers, resulting in higher breakdown vulnerability on the ground.
“The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People” by Walter Russell Mead; Knopf, 2022.
This book provides an analysis of the American Foreign Policy relationship with Israel. It explores why Zionism and Israeli sympathy is deeply rooted in American culture. The author discusses different U.S. administrations and the contexts that influenced their policies at the time. Mead dives into the complex and mountainous learning that is required to understand international relations with the Middle East.
“The Threshold of Dissent: A History of American Jewish Critics of Zionism” by Marjorie Feld; NYU Press, 2024.
This book digs into the history of American Jewish critics of Zionism. It explores the range of beliefs and worldviews among American Jews and where things are headed today. The author argues that unexamined, unwavering support for Israel is diminishing in America within the younger American Jewish population.
“Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East” by Scott Anderson; Doubleday, 2013.
Understanding colonialism and the British involvement in the Middle East is key to understanding the history of the conflict. Lawrence of Arabia comes up as a figure to understand this period because of his relationships with different key actors and his ability to see the implications of imperial actions on the people on the ground. This book follows both Lawrence and other individuals supporting international positioning within the region including the German Curt Prüfer and Standard Oil Businessman William Yale.
“The United Nations and the Question of Palestine: Rule by Law and the Structure of International Legal Subalternity” by Ardi Imseis; Cambridge University Press, 2023.
The UN has played a major role in this conflict. This book explores the UN’s role and the consequences of its decisions and ruling during various periods of the conflict. Written by a scholar and practitioner of public international law at Queen’s University, this book provides more insight into how the UN works and opportunities and limitations of the institution.
The Nature of Conflict and War
It may seem out of place for an exploration on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to include books that don’t focus specifically on that topic however there is much to be learned from attempts to understand the patterns across conflicts, across regions, across history. There is tension among historians, individuals on the ground and even among cultures about when it is acceptable to universalize and when specificity is required. Specificity is important to capture the truth of the unfolding conflict. There is a risk that if we aren’t specific, the lived experience, especially of the oppressed, is not captured in the interpreted historical accounts of the conflict and can contribute to a people being wiped out. Truth is an integral part of reconciliation and peace making. Looking across conflicts is important to understand the nature and dynamics involved allowing us to anticipate and predict how things might unfold. This is foundational for the prevention of and intervention in future conflicts.
“War Is A Force that Gives Us Meaning” by Chris Hedges; Anchor, 2003.
This book explains how individuals, groups and nations come to form their beliefs around conflict and war. It explores how myths and narratives are created to support nationalistic pursuits and are weaved into collective memory. In times of conflict, our biosocial drivers like tribalism, aggression and narrow self interest are triggered, which supports myths that distort truth and alter historical accounts. An emotional read, this book draws on Hedge’s experience as a war correspondent witnessing various conflicts around the world.
“Why We Fight: The Roots of War and Paths to Peace” by Christopher Blattman; Penguin Books, 2023.
The author begins with the question: Why don’t we fight? He explains that conflicts, from gangs to nations, are for the most part avoided because people know they are a costly endeavour. This book summarizes five reasons why entities avoid or end conflict.
“How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them” by Barbara F. Walter; Crown, 2022.
Written by a researcher, this book explains key indicators for predicting where civil war will break out. It looks across past civil wars to explain the patterns and dynamics like factionalization and the erosion of democracy.
Othering, Dehumanization and Genocide
The nation state is a relatively recent development in human history. Like many other ideas developed by our species – such as money, religion, etc – the nation state has supported humans’ ability to cooperate and feel a sense of co-responsibility at a large scale, towards people we don’t directly know. We share customs, social norms and certain expectations of each other. This is a process of identity formation, however, happens in response to “the other.” We know that we are part of this group and not part of that other group. While in many cases we have learned to develop peaceful societies that tolerate and accept “the other”, there is a dark part of human nature that can rear its ugly head. Conflict can easily trigger dangerous in-group, out-group dynamics between peoples. “Othering” can easily slide into de-humanization and lay the ground for genocide. This is a force that we must understand in order to prevent it. We have a long way to go.
“The Wall Between: What Jews and Palestinians Don’t Want To Know About Each Other” by Raja Khouri and Jeffrey Wilkinson; Olive Branch Press, 2023.
This book explains how the orienting stories of Jews and Palestinians were formed in such a way that divisions continue to be reinforced. It discusses how both narratives have been weaponized and are leading to an inability to create conditions for peace. The authors argue that to get out of this conflict, it is necessary for each group to build an accurate understanding of how ‘The Other’s’ worldview came to be and to hold that alongside their own narratives. The book is specifically written for Jewish and Palestinian diaspora as the authors see that there is potential to reach a new shared narrative.
“Shared Histories: A Palestinian-Israeli Dialogue” by Paul Scham, Walid Salem, and Benjamin Pogrund; Routledge 2005.
This book is a record of a conversation held among Israeli and Palestinian academics, researchers and historians. Participants discuss their approaches to untangling the events that have occurred through the conflict and what pieces they find significant to focus on. This book provides an insight into how different narratives and interpretations form and how further argument and conflict can ensue. It is a demonstration of how important but how difficult dialogue can be between Israelis and Palestinians.
“Antisemitism: An Ancient Hatred in the Age of Identity Politics” by Phillip Slayton; Sutherland House Books, 2023.
This Canadian author explores the different experiences of Jews around the world and the dynamics of identity politics and antisemitism. It explores the rise of anti-semitism in World War II leading to the Holocaust. It discusses antisemitism in the context of Jewish-Muslim and Jewish-Christian relationships. The author explores the impact of media and politics in perpetuating antisemitism.
“Imagined Communities: Reflections of the Origin and Spread of Nationalism” by Benedict Anderson; Verso, 2016 (originally published in 1983).
This book outlines the major social science theory behind how nations formed. This book discusses the standardization of language and culture, nationalism and imperialism, and shared memory and forgetting. This is more of an academic read that can at times feel quite dense but it supports the reader’s reflection of why nations came to be and their implication for international relations today.
“Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others” by David Livingstone Smith; St. Martin’s Griffin, 2012.
This book opens by pointing out that very little academic work has been done on the process of dehumanization. It provides an analysis of patterns and dynamics that happen when one group begins to see another group as less than human. For example, the victims are often referred to as infesting animals, plants or diseases in propaganda which soon becomes embedded in the culture. The author uses examples from the Holocaust, Rwanda and other genocides to explore this important topic.
Memoirs
Reading history and analysis of conflict can sometimes feel depersonalized for the reader. An overemphasis on statistics, dates, and events can remove the humanity of the people that experience waste, suffering and injustice. It is important to develop and maintain one’s sense of caring as we read in order to develop an informed outrage for the inhumanity that we have seen throughout our shared history and occurring today. Memoirs help to personalize the conflict for the reader.
“My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel” by Ari Shavit; Spiegel & Grau, 2013.
The author provides a personalized history of the creation of Israel as a country by drawing on interviews with family, friends and acquaintances who participated in key developments. It includes descriptions of what Israeli society was like through these periods as well as an account of life today in Israel.
Reconciliation and Peacemaking
A surface level understanding of peace is that it is a state without conflict. However in life, there is always conflict. Peace is a process that is about minimizing and preventing conflict. It is heart wrenching to watch countries fall back into violent behaviour reinforcing cycles of trauma. Unfortunately, this is part of the human story. We are in a battle with ignorance and error, waste, suffering and injustice. My Jewish friend explained that, “we must commit to peace and then recommit and recommit and recommit – as long as it takes”. Peace requires individuals in relationships and in dialogue. It also requires agreements, laws, institutions, and socio-cultural support. It requires a reconstruction of a people’s narrative about who they are, where they came from and where they headed.
“The Peace: A Warrior’s Journey” by Roméo Dallaire; Random House Canada, 2024.
This book is an extension and distillation of the lessons the author has learned from his life journey to understand peace in the international community. Following the structure of Dante’s The Divine Comedy, the 3 parts of the book cover Hell, Purgatory and Peace. He discusses the psychology of nationalism and the inability to rise above self-interest in geopolitical conflicts. Dallaire’s steadfastness at digging through his own ignorance and potential for adding to the ignorance is impressive. The book demonstrates a deep level of reverence and respect for humanity and the need for the development of a more sophisticated story of transcendence in geopolitics.
“Learning from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil” by Susan Neiman; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019.
This book discusses the messy process of how, after conflict, people rebuild and reconstruct their orienting stories especially when they were complicit in a situation that was so destructive. After World War II, Germans didn’t have their national or political tribe to fall back on. The ‘ordinary’ Germans had realized the Nazi orienting story was maladaptive and incredibly harmful. They sorted through the shame, guilt and justifications of how they were pulled into the Nazi narrative, some perhaps partially or unwillingly, but under that regime they had to do it to survive. The author covers the cultural pressures of how to go about that reconstruction and the importance of involve the next generation in the reconstruction. The author contrasts what happened in Germany to her experience in the Southern U.S.
“Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement” by Angela Y. Davis; Haymarket Books, 2016.
This book provides reflections on activism and the struggles against oppressive states. Davis discusses killings of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown and the plight of Black Americans, the industrial person complex and links the struggle for justice and peace to the plight of Palestinians.
From Palestine to the World Sounds of Sand Podcast; Science and Nonduality, 2024.
In this episode activist Angela Davis and physician Dr. Gabor Maté, reflect on the Palestinian struggle for freedom and the state of the conflict today. They discuss the role of the Palestinian struggle in the larger activist movements for peace, freedom and justice. They reflect on the barriers faced by these movements and how there is more global awareness and willingness to speak out in the past year than there has ever been.
1 “The Human Venture & Pioneer Leadership Journey Reference Maps” by Action Studies Institute; Calgary, Alberta, 2019.
Dana Penrice is a Human Venture Associate and Co-Chair of the Human Venture Institute. She is the managing director at Holistic Management Canada and works as a consultant to develop thoughtful approaches to managing complex systems involving both people and nature.
Human Venture Leadership is a non-profit learning organization, providing proven educational programs that enable and grow the leadership capacities of individuals, communities and our global society. The Human Venture Institute is a research hub whose primary function is to cement and extend Human Learning Ecology.