Coping with complex identities in the midst of war: Palestinian arab and jewish israelis university students in a conflict resolution course

The aim of this chapter is to analyze how Israeli Arab and Jewish students who study in a conflict resolution course at university coped with their divergent and emotional reactions and complicated experiences, identities and competing loyalties during the Gaza war of 2008-9. Through an analysis of this specific case study, this chapter aims to shed light on the complex phenomenon of human interactions during a period of heightened tension. The principal aim of the conflict resolution course is to encourage coexistence among the various groups comprising Israeli society in an atmosphere of cooperation, mutual understanding and social tolerance. It enables Israeli Arab and Jewish students to reflect productively on their place and role in a diverse society in an educational environment that respects difference. The three-part program, designed for small groups of 20-25 students, consists of twelve weekly 1½-hour sessions offering hands-on learning, based on the personal experiences of its participants. It provides students with skills and techniques to enable them to operate within a multicultural context and to function within it as agents of change. Exercises are derived from the Anti-Defamation League’s “A World of Difference” program, adapted to the needs of students experiencing the complex realities of the state of Israel. This chapter will present the reactions of Israeli Jewish and Arab students to a specific incident that occurred during a university workshop that took place during the Gaza war and show how management of the conflict operates in practice in a unique, fragile moment where life cannot be taken for granted.