Understanding the Current Conflict in the Middle East

WAFA. (2023). Damage in Gaza Strip during the October 2023 - 29. [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons.

Welcome to the Understanding the Conflict in the Middle East guide. It was created by the St. Kate's Library to provide a starting point for understanding and contextualizing the ongoing conflict between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah. This conflict has deep history, great complexity, and can be polarizing. Engaging with this material can be intellectually and emotionally challenging, but important. Throughout this guide, we have included materials from a variety of sources and perspectives intended to provide a broad framework for continued engagement in this difficult topic. We hope you find it useful.

To study this conflict means to engage with a wide range of opinions on important topics, including ones that are contentious, and maybe even offensive. Resources on this site represent a variety of academic and political opinions but it is not intended to be comprehensive, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the St. Kate's library staff or St. Catherine University.

We'd appreciate your feedback about the guide by emailing us at library@stkate.edu (there is also a feedback form in the left column).

Rawpixel. (2023). Words Have Power Wooden. [Photograph]. Google Images.

In light of the breadth of vocabulary that has been employed by individuals and interested parties to describe the current conflict in the Middle East, we feel it is important to provide an overview of several of the terms or words you will encounter in reading on this topic. Of note, the terms used for the current conflict show different framings and understandings for these current events.

"Israel–Hamas conflict" centers the conflict between the political entities of the Hamas-led government and the modern state of Israel, but it also limits scope by not including non-Hamas Palestinians involved in and affected by the conflict.

"Israel–Gaza conflict" centers the conflict in the area and people of Gaza particularly in regard to the flare-up of hostilities on October 7, 2023, but the phrase limits the scope of how this conflict also relates to the larger contexts of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict as well as the broader Arab–Israeli conflict within the international context of the Middle East.

Conversely, "Israeli–Palestinian conflict" is too wide a scope for those who would say the conflict is not between most Israelis and most Palestinians but rather between the government-led forces of Israel and the government-led forces of Hamas.

Finally, while the term "Arab–Israeli conflict" sets the scope of the conflict within the larger international context between Israel and various Arab peoples, this lens can sometimes be too wide to focus specifically on the localized conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

For the purposes of this guide, the main terminology used to refer to the recent armed conflict beginning on October 7, 2023, and taking place primarily in the areas of Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon, is the "Conflict in the Middle East." The use of this framing is meant to reflect the current political reality in which the Middle East has become a hotspot of volatility, with Israel engaging in wars with militias like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Courtesy of Rowan University's Division of Inclusive Excellence, Community and Belonging guide on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Additional terms that you will encounter frequently throughout this guide include the following:

Genocide:

On March 2024, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, issued a report stating that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Israel is committing genocide in the besieged Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip. According to the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, genocide is defined as “a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part.” You will see the term genocide mentioned throughout this guide.

Apartheid:

As recently as March 2022, and in reference to actions taken by Israel dating back to 1967, Michael Lynk, the UN Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, issued a report stating that “apartheid is being practiced by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory.” According to the United Nations, apartheid is “inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them.” You will see the term apartheid mentioned throughout this guide as well.