Peacebuilding in protracted conflict environments: Impact of October 7th and the following war between Israel and Hamas on Israeli and Palestinian peace organizations

Abstract

This thesis investigates how October 7th and the following war between Israel and Hamas has influenced peace organizations in Israel and Palestine. Further, it is explored how resilient these organizations are when they face a threatening event and how they practice resilience in times of violent conflict. Additionally, the relationship between peacebuilding, the assumption that the local is resilient and creates sustainable peace and the peace organizations in Israel and Palestine is explored. Therefore, this research interviewed nine representatives of Israeli and Palestinians peace organizations by conducting semi-structured interviews. The data was analyzed via thematic analysis. The analysis showed that October 7th and its aftermath brought up significant challenge for the peace organizations. However, the organizations were able to adapt and recover, to varying degrees, from this threatening event while having valuable learning outcomes and are therefore considered to be resilient. To cope with internal challenges, it requires active support for the staff within an organization and is crucial for staying operational. Finally, the local, which is represented in this research by the researched peace organizations, confirms the assumption that it is resilient and able to build sustainable peace. Nevertheless, to establish this resilient peace on a larger scale in the Israeli and Palestinian society social change seems to be a crucial process to reach a sustainable political solution to the conflict.

Keywords: peacebuilding, resilience, violent conflict, Israel and Palestine, peace organizations