Palestinian / Israeli Conflict
Index of Resources
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The struggle betweeen the Palestinians and the Israelis seems to be one of the most contentious and violent in the world today. What makes it worse is that both seem to have fundamentally valid moral goals - except with specific incidents, there is no clear good and evil and there is no easy black and white decision.
On the one hand, the Israelis seem to have a valid claim to having a state and to being safe and free from terrorism. Except for extremists in the Middle East, few try to make a case today for eliminating the state of Israel entirely and no one believes that a constant state of fear among the Israeli people is something morally acceptable.
Yet, the Palestinians seem to have valid moral claims as well. They, too, would like to have their own state - and how can anyone accept the right of Jews to have a state in Israel but also deny that Palestinians should be permitted the same? Palestinians would also like to live in peace without having to be in a constant state of fear - not so much from terrorist bombers but from the Israeli military.
Palestinians can even make a valid argument against the morality and/or legality of the creation of the state of Israel in the first place - but Israel isn't going anywhere and recriminations about the actions of the British government serve little or no purpose today. What is important is to find a way towards achieving a peaceful relationship between Palestinians and Iraelis today and achieving stability between a state of Israeli and a Palestinian state. This will require balancing the valid moral claims from both sides and that, in turn, requires a better understanding of both the history of this conflict and where it stands today.
The Palestine-Israeli Conflict: A Beginner's Guide
Written jointly by Dan Cohn-Sherbok and Dawoud El-Alami, this book is both interesting and educational. Readers will learn about the history of Zionism, the creation of the state of Israel, and the impact upon the Arab peoples in the region. More importantly, readers will see these issues through the eyes of those who stand on both sides of the debate: Jewish and Muslim, Israeli and Palestinian.Islam: Introduction
Basic FAQ on the history and beliefs of Islam. What does the word "Islam" mean? What do Muslims believe? What are the basic holy scriptures of Islam?Judaism: Introduction
Basic FAQ on the history and beliefs of Judaism. Who is a Jew? What do Jews believe? What are the different groupings within Judaism?Muslim Extremists
How has extremism in Islam developed, and what do the fundamenalists really want? This is an index of some of the most prominent people and groups responsible for the development of religious extremism in Isalm.Israel: Religious Freedom Report
United States State Department report on the state of religious freedom in Israel. What are the official Israeli policies? How are Muslims treated?Occupied Territories: Religious Freedom Report
United States State Department report on the state of religious freedom in the "Occupied Territories" (Gaza Strip and the West Bank). This includes those areas under control of the Palestinian Authority. Is religious freedom protected? Is anyone harassed because of their religion?Judaism in Israel
Library of Congress Congressional Study information about the state of religion in Israel. Covered is the nature of Judaism, the conflict between Orthodox and Reform Judaism, and Religious Terrorism in Israel.
Further Reading
Recent Books on Islam
What is Islam? Is Islam opposed to democracy and human rights? Are there good reasons to reject
Islam and its theological claims? To what extent have politics and economics influenced the
development of Islam in the Middle East? The books here answer those questions and more,
presenting a critical and scholarly perspective.
Recent Books on Palestine & Israel
Few people are unaware of the violence which keeps occurring between Israelis and Palestinians.
Why is this happening - what are the causes, and are there any solutions? Everything comes back
to religion: the disagreement and violence between Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Understanding
the role of religion in these disagreements is necessary to understanding the violence itself.
Recent Books on Religion, Violence, and Terrorism
Religious leaders normally argue that religion is a force for good and love in the world. Yet,
at the same time, we see religion regularly used for war, mass murder, terrorism, and even
genocide. Why does this difference exist - how can religion be claimed as a basis for peace
while so many use it as a basis for terrorism?
