Israeli-Palestinian conflict
On Saturday 7 October 2023, a new Gaza War broke out. This war between Israel and Hamas is preceded by the decades-long battle over sovereignty, that has come to be known as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This dossier lists scholars with expertise on the situation in Palestine and Israel and the articles in which they share this expertise.
Utrecht University policy information can be found on the page ‘UU and the situation in Gaza and Israel’.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict explained: this preceded the Gaza war
The war Israel declared to Hamas in October 2023 is preceded by a period of more than 100 years of unrest and confrontation. Drawing on their own expertise, five leading scholars explain the history and background of the current Gaza war step by step.
“Religion plays a smaller part in this war than people think”
In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, nationalism, faith, and identity play important roles. In this background article scholars of religion Lucien van Liere, Eric Ottenheijm, and Joas Wagemakers assess the specific role of religion: to what extend is it a religious conflict in their view?
Our experts
- Modern Jewish history, nationalist and transnationalist ideologies, postcolonial studies
- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in wider context, cyber conflicts, disinformation, surveillance and military technologies
- Legacies of the Global Cold War, international relations of the Middle East, Europe-Israel relations
- International humanitarian law, human rights, expertise on drone and algorithmic warfare
- History of (modern) warfare, insurgency-counterinsurgency, conflict and peacebuilding
- Polarisation, psychological dynamics surrounding emotional and polarised conflicts
- The law and policy of statehood and recognition
- Religious violence, the influence of religious beliefs on the course of conflict
- History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in wide context, Dutch/European policy
- Jewish and biblical studies, historical interreligious relations and dialogues
- History of (modern) warfare, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in wider military context
- International history of genocide, war crimes, mass violence, accountability and justice
- History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in wide context, background and ideology of Hamas