Constructivism in Israel-Palestine
Realism does not promote positive peace, but constructivism does.
May 6, 2009
Instead of dividing and displacing ethnic groups into homogenous communities like they did in Bosnia, community is recreated by unifying the people in a secular identity instead of an ethnic or religious identity. States eventually need to learn to cooperate, if not to just exist geographically next to one another, but to also trade, and work politically with one another. With the case of Northern Ireland accomplishing conflict-transformation, the region was no longer divided among the Protestants and the Catholics, but unified by professional unions, such as the teachers’ union. With a government that allows freedom of religion, people can privately practice as they please.
Learning from the Past
INCORE, an international relations school studying the conflict-transformation of Northern Ireland, found many similarities between the Northern Ireland conflict and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Belfast and Jerusalem, both “unresolved” cities whose future may be subject to political deadlocks, are furthered studied through the Belfast-Jerusalem Civil Society Partnership. The mission of B-JCSP is to share, develop, research, and disseminate skills and practices to help build communities, strengthen civil society and transform conflict in Jerusalem and Northern Ireland. Through academic research, policy makers can further understand and implement effective and efficient solutions to stabilize and bring about positive peace for Jerusalem.
David Mendelson
Constructivism develops positive peace, a long-term goal, through culture and community building. So what is the one route to positive peace for the Jews and Arabs? Dr. David Mendelson, a social linguist who works at Givat Haviva, focuses on Hebrew's influence of spoken Arabic in Israel. Arguing that language is the foundation of social unity, he describes the inseparable connection between the creation of the Israeli-Palestinian, and the diminishing use of Arabic in a predominant Hebrew- speaking region. Linguist Mohammed Omara, of Bar-Ilan University, researches the reciprocal influences of Hebrew and Arabic. He believes language is not only a means of communication, but also an integral part of identity, and losing a language means losing one's identity. Omara says that the deep influence of Hebrew on Arabic has led some researchers to call the Arabic spoken by Israeli Arabs "Arabrew." (Mendelson lecture, February 7)
From the Bottom Up
With a constructivist mindset, David Mendelson believes “fair solutions” for the Israeli- Palestinian conflict start from the bottom up. The Arabs recognize their communities as extended families, so grass root programs that establish address systems legitimize the Arab presence in Israel. Eventually Arab representatives can further infiltrate into the Israeli Parliament and further equalize Israeli-Palestinian rights. Seventy percent of Arab houses are illegally built because Jewish Israelis do not permit the construction. So even equal opportunity to build homes legally would be a step away from Arabs’ second-class citizenship in Israel. These small aspects of community building affect the relationship between Arabs and Jews, furthering the point that community building is another foundation to a constructivist solution.
 |
