Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (1): 311 - 330 (2016) SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES Journal homepage: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/ The Rise of Jewish Religious Nationalism and Israeli Approach to the Palestinian Conflict Javadikouchaksaraei, M.*, Bustami, M. R. and Farouk, A. F. A. Center for Policy Research and International Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia ABSTRACT This paper analyses the relationship between Jewish religious nationalism and Israeli approach to the conflict with Palestinians. This paper explores the relationship between religious nationalism and Israeli approach to the long standing conflict in the occupied territories. It seeks to explain why religious nationalism has become closely associated with hawkishness since 1967. While the Jewish religion advocates no single approach to the conflict with the Palestinians, religious nationalism has been significantly more hawkish than the nonreligious approach in Israel. Keywords: Religious nationalism, Israel-Palestine-conflict, hawkish INTRODUCTION to find a solution satisfactory to both parties, Many recent studies examining the impact but also because it is an active conflict of religious nationalism on conflicts between which threatens the Middle East and the states and ethnic groups tend to be centred world because of the involvement of super on the role of religious nationalism in the powers having vested interest in prolonging emergence and persistence of conflicts the conflict. Using the Israeli-Palestinian (Krishna, 1996; Calhoun, 2001; Secor, 2001; conflict as a case study, this paper examines Woltering, 2002; Agnew, 2008; Mullin, the crucial role of religious nationalism 2010). The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one in sustaining the conflict. However, since of the most protracted and serious conflicts the 1967 war, religious nationalism and of the century not only because it is difficult hawkishness have become intertwined in perpetuating the conflict. ARTICLE INFO The Hebrew Bible attaches special Article history: Received: 9 January 2015 significance to the relationship between Accepted: 20 August 2015 national identity and religion (Kaplan, 1994) E-mail addresses: [email protected] (Javadikouchaksaraei, M.), which underscores the “divinity” element in [email protected] (Bustami, M. R.), [email protected] (Farouk, A. F. A.) the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. * Corresponding author ISSN: 0128-7702 © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press Javadikouchaksaraei, M., Bustami, M. R. and Farouk, A. F. A. In some situations, even where the Studies conducted thus far have focused on root cause of the conflict is religiously identifying factors that might lead to future motivated, the inclusion of religion into resolution of the conflict. most conflicts only makes matters worse. There are some limitations to the study. Thus, for a thorough comprehension of The first is theoretical and the second is this phenomenon, the authors of this paper historical. The theoretical one is related to set out to underscore in the most general of the kind of religious nationalism that is sense, the effect of religious nationalism on the focus since there are various religious the emergence and sustenance of conflicts nationalisms in literature. (Hayes, 1966, with special focus on religious nationalism Smith, 1996). among the Israelis in the Israeli-Palestinian The historical limitation refers to the conflict. Though the focus of this paper is time constraint of the study. This study on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, its findings focused on the development of Zionism can be generalised to a large extent to many in the late 19th century with a view to conflicts around the world, thus, providing evaluating the historical, cultural and further insights and reference materials religious claims of the Jews in the late 20th for the study and debate on religious century. This paper will exclude recent nationalism. Despite the apparent religious Arab-Israeli conflicts as understanding the and political divide between the Israelis and recent political rapprochement from both the Palestinians, it must be noted that not sides is another topic altogether. all Jews support the Zionist agenda of the state of Israel and not all Palestinians are THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND supportive of the aggression of the militant DEFINITIONS groups. In an attempt to develop the theoretical This paper explores the relationship framework for the current study on between the approach adopted by Israel the relationship between religion and in dealing with the Palestinian issue and nationalism with special focus on the the religious nationalism aspect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is vital to have conflict. It also examines why religious a closer look at both sides of the political nationalism has become more hawkishness divide. Despite the religious and political especially since 1967. Thus, the main aim differences between these two groups, both of this paper is to understand the concept of are faced with similar problems. religious nationalism that is at the heart of In the study on nationalism, Roger the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. As such, the Friedland (2002) and Juergensmeyer (1993) paper t contributes to the body of knowledge describe the concept of distinctive religious on this topic. Such a contribution will focus form of nationalism. In his discourse, on identifying and examining different Friedland argued that nationalism is ‘a points of view regarding the conflict. state-centred form of collective subject 312 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (1): 311 - 330 (2016) The Rise of Jewish Religious Nationalism and Israeli Approach to the Palestinian Conflict formation…a program for the co-constitution traditional role of the family as the primary of the state and the territorial bounded source of continuing human existence population in whose name it speaks… [and] through reproduction, and thus, protecting a set of discursive practices by which the it against the undesirable economic and territorial identity of a state and the cultural cultural forces which tend to weaken its identity of the people whose collective prominence. From the point of view of representation it claims are constituted as a gender, religion seeks to preserve traditional singular fact’ (Friedland, 2002). gender roles both within the family and Friedland defines religious nationalism in the wider society, and also to a great as a special form of nationalism with variable extent, restricts sexuality within the family. content describing the ‘joining of state, The relationship between nationalism territory, and culture’ (Friedland, 2002). and religion has also been acknowledged The form, however, does not explicitly by sociologists, thanks to the increasing explain how these entities are to be joined detachment of the latter from traditional together, what content it entails in the state- religious institutions under whose purview centred collective subject formation, or they once flourished and ‘may be invested the constituents of the discursive practices with highly diverse meanings and used for necessary to amalgamate the geography a wide variety of purposes . both within of a people with their cultural identity. A and outside the framework of religious possible mode of specifying the content of organizations, and where there exist state the form is provided in religion. In short, religions’ (Beckford, 1989). While religion religion provides a means ‘of joining tends to take the back seat in most secular state, territory, and culture’. This power states of the world, religious practices of religion, according to Friedland, is due deemed advantageous, especially in the areas to its unique ‘models of authority’ feature of national security, are easily incorporated on the one hand, and its ‘imaginations of into the national development agenda an ordering power’ (2002) on the other. (Martin, 1978; Bruce, 1996). As indicated Religion, according to the author, can be by David Martin (1978), the relationship regarded as the ‘totalizing order capable between religion and nationalism is of vital of regulating every aspect of life’ (2002). significance upon which religious values Friedland however, acknowledged the fact flourish among the countries of Europe. This that this injunction is less applicable to phenomenon, the author argued, holds even Christianity – for Christianity originated for Christianity despite its apparent conflict as a stateless religion. In an attempt to with nationalism. The author says: amalgamate state, territory, and culture, “Christianity may be a religion that religious nationalism places importance rejects the worship of Caesar or the exaltation on the family, gender and sexuality. In this of the ethnic group, but in order to retain even way, religion assists in safeguarding the the possibility of suggesting more worthy Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 24 (1): 311 - 330 (2016) 313 Javadikouchaksaraei, M., Bustami, M. R. and Farouk, A. F. A. objects of praise, it must be positively national consciousness emerging in the related to the national consciousness, absence of a nation state. particularly as this is highlighted in a myth The most familiar typology of of national origin” (Martin, 1978). nationalism has two main categories. In the Most historical studies highlight the voluntarist conception, individuals must continuing and significant role played by belong to a nation, but they can choose religion and religious belief systems both which nation they wish to belong to. in