Coping with the Jewish-Arab conflict: A comparison among three models

Three models are surveyed and compared with regard to their efficacy in promoting change in intergroup attitudes and relations, particularly in Israel's Jewish-Arab relationships: the contact model, the information model, and the metacognitive model. The first two models have been widely applied to intergroup conflict, including the Jewish-Arab situation, but both have faced some serious problems. Proposed as an alternative, the metacognitive model could address problems faced by the contact and information models. The article discusses the theoretical aspects and practical applications of the model, and proposes how it can be combined with the contact and information models in order to increase the efficacy of coping with intractable cases of intergroup relations such as the Jewish-Arab conflict.