CONfronting the Binary Understanding of the CONflict of Palestine and Israel and Welcoming the CONtinuum

• In Event: Transformative Peace Education Through Building Blocks of Peace

Abstract

This paper seeks to continue the discussion regarding the impossibility of dismantling the master’s house with the master’s tools (Lorde, 1985) in relation to the colonization of Palestine. First, I offer a brief history of Palestine and Israel and investigate the decolonization process through breaking down the “binary” understanding of the conflict. Through a thorough investigation of the gender binary versus a gender continuum, I relate these crucial thoughts to the understanding of Palestine being on one “side,” Israel being on the “other,” and the dangers of this simplistic perspective. I end this piece with concrete steps to view Palestine and Israel with a more progressive lens - through a spectrum of possibilities towards understanding and dare I say, peace?

Author

• Anastasia J. Khawaja, University of South Florida - Tampa