Israel and Palestine Conflict Essay Example

After the colonial ruling of Palestine by the British, two minority groups were both promised sovereignty over the same land. One side is the Arabic people, and the other side is the Jewish people. The conflict between Palestine and Isreal is one example of opposing groups that demonstrate a number of psychological processes including, dispositional attribution, obedience, and discrimination.

In 1948, the British had released Palestine from their control. This caused a power grab for the two parties that remained. For both nations, the land they’re fighting for is their holy land. After WWII Jews were promised their own country. The Palestinians expected to govern the land themselves after they have been settled there for over a thousand years. There have been decades of war. Both sides think they're on the right. Present-day Isreal is seemingly engulfing Palestine. The conflict is ongoing and the two groups put on display a few psychological phenomena of conflicts amongst groups. 

The discrimination against the Palestinians has gone rampant. Discrimination is the unfair treatment of a person due to characteristics such as race, sex, religion, etc. Palestinians have endured many unfair treatments. One example is the forceful removal of their homes. There are existing laws that allowed Palestinians to be displaced lawfully, offering homes to Jewish people. Over 30% were displaced. These laws are inherently discriminatory against Palestinians. Another example is the different roads Isreal has established. Arab people are prohibited from the “settler-only” road. They are also subject to roadblocks and checkpoints while Jews are not. This is a prime example of a people being marginalized due to their race. 

The next topic is obedience. To be obedient is to listen and act out the requests of whoever is in charge. After losing war after war, Palestine only gets smaller and smaller. Only because their backs were being pushed against the wall, Palestine must learn to live with their neighbors. The hierarchy had the British in charge, meaning the Palestinians were obedient to them. Now Palestine has lost 70% of their land, as their people continue to struggle, and while they watch their oppressors thrive. The Palestinians are forced to obey and removed from their land. 

 After all the fighting; both sides should exhibit dispositional attributions. Dispositional attribution is assuming a person’s behavior is caused by the individual's character and not an outside force. Given the prejudice both sides have for one another, they will both assume negative things. A young Palestinian might attribute a Jews' kindness as a sign that they are human first and above the conflict. While someone else might few that same act of kindness from the same Jewish person as nothing out of the ordinary. Another idea is a Jewish person sees a Palestinian as captain of their team, giving a motivational speech and the rest of the team is Jewish. This scenario could lead the Jewish onlooker to assume highly of the Palestinian due to the discrimination holding Palestinians back. Another onlooker might not be as impressed.  

This conflict is between two groups of people who wanted to use their promised land to create their own country. Unfortunately, the two groups were promised the same land and they cannot seem to find a compromise. The conflict between Palestine and Isreal is ongoing and is an example of two sides that demonstrate discrimination, obedience, and dispositional attribution.