In the Middle East lies a territory where two civilizations collide. Some refer to the region as Israel, while others call the same land Palestine. The two entities, one a declared nation, the other a territory seeking statehood, are separated by a giant wall in many areas, and, if you consider the settlements in the West Bank, a road in other areas. Politically, the two are miles apart. Most people might assume that they are culturally separated by vast distances also, but, is this actually the case. This paper compares and contrasts Israel and the Palestinian Territories based on their culture to determine where they might have shared values and where they might be different.
When considering the culture of a society, one must first consider the cultural values of that society. Cultural values can be described as the standards that a community or society considers to be acceptable or unacceptable, or what is right or wrong . It is difficult to determine clear cultural values for Israel because it includes such a diverse mix of people from around the world . However, based on the constant media reports form the past several years, it is easy to surmise that security is a primary cultural value for Israel.
Palestine, on the other hand, is a more homogeneous society, with most of the population being of Arab descent and having lived in the region for generations. For Palestine, a major cultural value is that of freedom.
Another aspect of culture to consider is the norms of a society. A cultural norm can be defined as a rule that a society uses to show what is appropriate or inappropriate within the society. One norm that a person can expect to see in Israel is sharing coffee at the beginning of a business meeting . Similarly, in Palestine, hospitality is the norm. A visitor to any Palestinian business or home can be expected to be treated well, and will certainly feel welcomed . As you can see, at least is this regard, the two societies are similar.
Cultural beliefs are another area to consider when looking at a social group. Cultural beliefs can be defined simply as assumptions and convictions that are believed to be true by a society (BusinessDictionary.com). One strong cultural belief in Israel is that Jews, who make up the majority of the Israeli population, cannot marry non-Jews. This belief is so strong that it has been made into a law in Israel . In Palestine, the families are strong, and usually patriarchal, with the oldest male being responsible for the entire extended family (Institute for Middle East Understanding).
Another aspect of culture to consider is cultural symbols. One definition of a cultural symbol is “an object or a ritual that informs, solidifies and influences our social interactions” . For Israel, one of the most powerful symbols is the Star of David. This is a fairly new Jewish symbol and is prominent on the Israeli flag . It symbolizes Israel’s status as the Jewish states. One prominent symbol of Palestine is the house key . The key represents the house keys that many Palestinian refugees still carry that would unlock the front doors to the houses they fled in 1948.
A final aspect of culture to look at is language. Language is the way people communicate with one another. Within Israel one can hear a multitude of languages, since it is a melting pot of people from around the world. However, the nation lists Hebrew and Arabic as its official languages. It has two languages because it has adopted Hebrew as the ancient language of the Jews, and there is still a large Arab population in Israel. Palestine, as a predominately Arab country, speaks Arabic as its primary language.
Despite the major political differences between Israel and Palestine, when one looks at their cultures closely, one can see many similarities between the two. This is especially true if one were to look closely at the more conservative, orthodox segments of the population on both sides of the fence.
References
Al-Ju'beh, N. Palestinian Identity and Cultural Heritage. 2008. Online. 8 April 2016. <http://books.openedition.org/ifpo/491>.
BusinessDictionary.com. Cultural values. 2016. Online. 8 April 2016. <http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/cultural-values.html>.
everyculture.com. Israel. 2016. Online. 9 April 2016. <http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Israel.html>.
Global Affairs Canada. Cultural Information - Israel. 17 November 2014. Online. 8 April 2016. <https://www.international.gc.ca/cil-cai/country_insights-apercus_pays/ci-ic_il.aspx?lang=eng>.
Leyden, Joel. The Cross-Cultural Do's and Don'ts Between Israel and US. 12 May 2007. Online. 9 April 2016. <http://www.israelnewsagency.com/crossculturaltipsdosdontsdoingbusinessisraelus489051207.html>.
Mechon-Mamre.org. Signs and Symbols. n.d. Online. 8 April 2016. <http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/signs.htm>.
Millar, K. The Power of Cultural Symbolism. 2011. Online. 8 April 2016. <http://www.societyandself.com/the-power-of-cultural-symbolism.html>.
