Introduction and Hypothesis
The ongoing Israel/ Palestine conflict is a complex humanitarian situation surrounding a long-fought ideological and physical struggle for land, identity, independence, and supremacy. Religion plays a central role in this conflict for its deep historical and social ties which exist in many diverse ethno-religious groups throughout the region. Religion is set up in this ongoing war as both a social construct and a deeply rooted belief system that shapes the general narratives of the fighting on both sides. Religion here operates not just theologically as a mechanism of the state to advance its territorial and ideological supremacy but as a deeply personal way of validating and memorializing persecution as a means of justification for such violence. This paper will dissect the ongoing conflict through the framework of the sociological theories of Max Weber and Emile Durkheim as analyzed in Daniel L. Pals's Eight Theories of Religion (2006). Specifically, I will use Pals’ focus on Durkheim’s theory of society as being religiously sacred and how symbols, totems, and rituals bolster ideological solidarity. Pals also analyzes in contrast how Max Weber's theories of religion being a source of social action can encourage using religious beliefs to motivate, influence, and encourage political or social action. These two sociological frameworks used together to analyze how religion influences this conflict illustrate the deep ties society and religion have within regional conflicts.
Conclusion
This ongoing conflict occurring in Israel/ Palestine is not just a battle for territory or survival, it exemplifies significant sociological theories such as social cohesion through shared religious and cultural identity, and religion as a source of meaningful social action. Both theories are highlighted by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber in Daniel L. Pals's Eight Theories of Religion and offer an explanation for the possible causes for the events of specifically the past 18 months. Whether looking at the motivations for the October 7 Hamas terror attack, or the following retaliatory annihilation of Gaza, one can find religious justification and reasoning on both sides. Essentially, this conflict with its two sides who could not be more different in culture or religious practice, represents how religion is often used to reinforce differences and social divisions and stoke them through symbols, rituals, totems, or moral authority. As long as religion is associated and legitimized through state-sanctioned action, and power flows through the people to the government in the name of religion, the cyclical nature of religion and social action will continue to drive resistance and retaliation alike. This framework offers the notion that religion serves as a force that shapes group cohesion, legitimizes violence, and upholds social divisions. With all these sociological theories working in unison, common ground is found between Durkheim and Weber in that it is evident that religion guides and shapes both public opinion and legitimizes political action. Their theories together expose the deeply entangled nature of religion and government, and when applied critically to the Middle East, reveal that until the ‘sacred’ is reacknowledged in a peaceful image as something not to defend and isolate at all costs, but to share, the cyclical nature of violence in the non-secular political states of the region is likely to continue.