GAZA WARIsraelis and Palestinians Warring Over a Homeland Is Far from Unique
Seen from the perspective of territorial conflict, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is far from unique. Ultimately, the tragedy of deep attachment to a homeland territory lies in the fact that while it can create a sense of belonging for one group, it too often comes at the expense of another.
The ongoing horrors unfolding in Israel and Gaza have deep-rooted origins that stem from a complex and contested question: Who has rights to the same territory?
I am a scholar of international affairs, as well as territory and nationalism. Territory has been a central cause of conflict throughout history.
Today, Israelis and Palestinians both claim the same swath of land as their own. Each group has its own historical narratives, its own names for the territory – Israel or Palestine, depending on whom you ask – and many people from each group believe strongly that sharing the land is impossible.
Palestinians and Israelis also look to this same land as a way to define their identities and protect their futures.
The Benefits of Controlling Territory
Virtually every country serves as a designated homeland to many of its citizens – a place that is tied to people’s ancestries, cultural histories and legends.
The idea of a homeland is kept alive as each generation tries to teach children about the significance of the land they inhabit or come from.
Controlling territory and claiming it as a homeland is vital for people for a number of reasons. First, it helps ensure a stable supply of essential items like food, water and shelter. It can help provide security against external threats, like hostile neighbors. It also fosters a sense of identity and belonging within a community.
When people control their own territory, it helps them form and maintain a government and preserve their culture, shaping their values and ways of life.
Controlling territory can also affect people’s social status, help create new economic opportunities and improve their psychological well-being.
In many cultures, peoples’ identities are literally attached to territory in their names. In Europe, many aristocrats are named for the lands they controlled, as in “von Bismarck,” in Germany, or “York,” a region in England.
This differs from middle- or working-class people, who are traditionally named for their professions – like Hunter, Smith and Taylor.
At its most basic level, territorial control is about survival and reproduction, and it has influenced human behavior in other ways. Disputes over who controls or has the legal right to a territory has consistently fueled wars.
Fighting Over Territory Isn’t Rare
Seen from the perspective of territorial conflict, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is far from unique. Consider the ongoing war over which government should control parts of Ukraine, for example.
