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Unraveling the Complexities: Fundamentalism in the Israeli-
Palestinian Conflict
The world was stunned in October 2023 when footage of the catastrophic effects of the at -
tack on Israel by the Palestinian organization Hamas went viral. One video showed a little
child trembling uncontrollably, his clothes burned and torn, and himself covered in blood
and dust. Another child saw her mother's lifeless body being taken away and screamed in
fear. Anger towards the enemy and their allies was made even stronger by these upset-
ting pictures. These distressing images only fueled the anger against the enemy and their
supporters (Hirschburger, 2020, p.10). The Israel-Palestine conflict has been one of the
most enduring and complex conflicts of our time. This conflict, which has lasted for several
decades, has seen multiple violent outbursts, peace talks, and unsuccessful attempts to
find a long-term solution. But the devastating war that engulfed the region in 2023 marked
a significant turning point, bringing the conflict back to the center of international attention.
This paper aims to provide some additional clarity about this highly complex and contro-
versial war and the various viewpoints surrounding it. There is a strong sense of division
between the people and their opinions on the matter who is right and who is wrong that
has even led to a kind of censorship. Even European Jewish schools need security and
jewish or pro Israel companies are being cancelled. Dozens of demonstrations with
Palestinian and taliban flags show us how strong this polarization has become. With this
context in mind, the research question that this essay seeks to answer is: Who is the fun-
damentalist in the war between Palestine and Israel? First this essay will explain the most
important definitions of this topic, then it discusses the argumentation and last but not least
it will end with a conclusion where it answers the research question.
In order to be able to answer the question it’s important to know what
fundamentalism actually means. Fundamentalism is a very contested term because some
scholars argue that the term is too Western-centered and even offensive in that it labels
people to be extreme or irrational and it diminishes the legitimacy of religious paradigms
(Peels, 2023, p.13). There are a lot of different explanations of the term and I will discuss a
few of them to create a little bit of context. The term fundamentalism comes from the
fundamentals which are non negotiable principles within a religion. For example the virgin
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birth of Christ and the Trinity of God in Christianity (Peels, 2023, p.15). Fundamentalists
claim that they are the only ones who possess the true revelation of the transcendent, so
all others are false. The enemy consists of everyone else (Herriot,2020, p.16).
Fundamentalists are often stereotyped as emotional or extremist. They are hostile to
modernity and its institutions, for example, they deny any legitimacy to religious and
political authorities and show this by being transgressive and provocative (Herriot, 2020,
p.18). They “uphold a culture of traditional families and all the other eternal, most natural
and universally human values which certain globalist-technocratic propaganda wishes to
corrupt and abolish.” (Herriot, 2020, p.18). The term is used very often which blurs the
lines between what is actual fundamentalism and what is not. To make it a bit more clear
there is a definition that includes criteria to decide. “A movement is fundamentalist if and
only if (i) it is reactionary towards modern developments, (ii) it is itself modern, and (iii) it is
based on a grand historical narrative. More specifically, a movement is fundamentalist if it
exemplifies a large number of the following properties: (i) it is reactionary in its rejection of
liberal ethics, science, or technological exploitation, (ii) it is modern in seeking certainty
and control, embracing literalism and infallibility about particular scriptures, actively using
media and technology, or making universal claims, and (iii) it presents a grand historical
narrative in terms of paradise, fall, and redemption, or cosmic dualism “(Peels, 2022,
p.743). An important player in this war is Hamas. Hamas is called an Islamic terrorist
organization by the European Union and a Palestinian resistance movement by Palestine
and people who support them. Gaza is a small piece of land bordered by Egypt on one
side and Israel on the other. Gaza was under Israeli control for a long time until Hamas
took over this governance (Mukhimer, 2013, p.2).
Now the definitions are clear, we can move on to the earliest story behind this Arab-
Jew war. In both the Torah and the Qur’an it says that Jews and Arabs derive from the
same source. 6000 years ago Abraham followed God into the land of Canaan or the
promised land (Palestine). Here his tribe (the Hebrews) pitched their tents. Abraham had
two sons; Ishmael from an Egyptian slave woman and Isaac, son of Sarah. Isaac’s
youngest son Jacob got the covenant of God and became known as Israel (the prince of
God). The Hebrews/Jews are named the children of Israel. After some persuasion of his
wife Sarah, Abraham drove Ishmael into the desert. Ischmael and his descendants
became known as Arabs. The Torah claims that the promised land belongs exclusively to
the Jews and the Qur’an argues that it belongs exclusively to the Arabs (Rowley & Taylor,
2006, p.42). This was the start of years and years of conflict that has led to the horrific war
we see today. Besides the national aspirations of both parties, the conflict also has some
