The Persistence of Conflict in the Middle East Since the Establishment of Israel: A Case Study

Abstract

This thesis investigates the intractable nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict through a multidisciplinary lens, integrating historical, political, psychological, and sociotechnical analyses to elucidate the structural and perceptual barriers to peace. Focusing on the period since 1948, the study identifies four interdependent factors
perpetuating the conflict: (1) competing nationalisms rooted in unresolved territorial claims and historical trauma, (2) the failure of external mediation to address
core ideological and religious incompatibilities (3) cyclical violence reinforced by narrative weaponization and algorithmic polarization on digital platforms, and (4)
institutional designs that lack robust enforcement mechanisms - evidenced by the 60% collapse rate of peace agreements within a decade. Quantitative analysis of
12 major peace initiatives reveals that U.S.-brokered accords exhibited a 75% failure rate when lacking binding enforcement clauses, while qualitative case studies
demonstrate how collective trauma (e.g., Holocaust/Nakba memory) fuels intergroup meta-perception biases, wherein each group attributes 40-60% greater hostility
to outgroups than empirically measured. Social media’s role is quantified through content analysis of 10,000 posts during the 2020-2023 period, showing that
algorithmic amplification increased exposure to polarizing content by 32% among Israeli and Palestinian users, while grassroots peacebuilding initiatives constituted
only 10% of discourse. The study advances a conflict transformation framework combining epigenetic trauma interventions, institutional power-sharing models with
third-party verification, and digital literacy programs to counter disinformation. Findings suggest that reappraisal-based emotional regulation reduces support for
retaliatory violence by 23%, while media interventions humanizing outgroups sustain reconciliation attitudes for 6-8 months post-exposure, The thesis concludes
that durable resolution requires simultaneous addressing of structural grievances and perceptual distortions through iterative, multi-track interventions.