Science. Business. Society.
Vol. 11 (2026), Issue 1, pg(s) 31-35

SOCIETY

The Persistence of Conflict: An Examination of Ten Critical Factors Why the Israeli– Palestinian Dispute Remains Unresolved

  • 1 Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland

Abstract

The Middle East is a geographical and political region whose boundaries vary with analytical purpose. Depending on whether the emphasis is placed on security, politics, or economic integration, the region may be defined expansively—from Morocco to Pakistan (the ―Greater Middle East,‖ a term popularized in the early 2000s)—or more narrowly, in line with traditional Orientalist framings, from Egypt to Iran. Although the region’s spatial scope is contested, one defining characteristic is widely recognized: chronic instability. At the center of this instability lies the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, the confrontation has evolved from an element of a broader Arab–Israeli conflict into a distinct and enduring dispute with regional and global ramifications. Although the conflict concerns a relatively small territorial space (approximately 20,000 square kilometers), it has repeatedly expanded in political significance—from local contestation to regional polarization and, ultimately, to internationalization. It remains salient across the Muslim world and continues to command sustained attention from global policymakers, who for more than seven decades have failed to broker a durable settlement.
The conflict often generates sharply polarized views and is frequently approached through simplified narratives that obscure its historical depth and institutional complexity. While its modern dynamics emerged in the twentieth century, both parties draw on longer historical, religious, and cultural claims in legitimizing competing rights. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has also been instrumentalized by external actors, from Cold War geopolitics to post–September 11 security discourses. This article argues that the persistence of the Israeli–Palestinian dispute is best explained as a product of interacting political, structural, psychological, and international factors. By analyzing ten obstacles to peace, the paper offers a framework for understanding why repeated negotiations have failed and why conflict management has often substituted for conflict resolution.

Keywords

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