Reconciliation during an intractable conflict in a Hebrew mixed (Arabs and Jews) college

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines how a course that includes recognizing pain and suffering inflicted during intractable conflicts affects Indigenous Minority Group students’ willingness to reconcile. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research tools with a pre-/post- questionnaire examining Israeli-Palestinian indigenous minority group students’ willingness to reconcile with the Israeli-Jewish majority group during an outbreak in violence (May 2021 Riots in Israel). Recognition entails creating space for minority students’ narratives and listening to their pain and anger related to their history and lived experiences as a minority. Findings show that students who received recognition maintain a steady will to reconcile and students who did not receive such recognition express a decrease in their willingness to reconcile. Such a distinction in results demonstrates the importance of recognizing a minority group’s narrative while an intractable conflict occurs.