The story of the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks : applying conflict narrative analysis to political dilemmas

Derailment of the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks ensured the continuation of needless bloodshed and mass poverty. The explanations offered by government officials and news media outlets have not been sufficient to explain the break down in negotiations. I interviewed five Israelis, four Palestinians, two Palestinian-Americans, and two Jewish-Americans in order to gain an understanding of different narrative explanations for the conflict. An examination of the stories they told provided insight into shared beliefs, interpretations, and perspectives that suggest several explanations why Israelis and Palestinians have been unable to reach a mutually acceptable solution. Potentially productive courses of action that take into account the information gained from narrative analysis emerged from the data.