Psychological theories of conflict and conflict resolution have been used to analyse problems affecting the individual, the family and work place conflicts, and ultimately to global conflicts that have a long history. Conflict resolution goes a long way in bringing peace in the place of the conflict (Schellenberg, 1996).
The conflict resolution theory has identified five styles that are used to deal with or resolve a conflict. The said styles are the collaborative style; the comprising style, the competitive style, the avoiding style and the accommodating style. These styles fit the different personalities in any conflict. Another theory used in the resolution of conflicts is the interest relational theory (Schellenberg, 1996).
One of the major conflicts that have dominated the global stage for the last 50 years is the Israel-Palestine conflict. This conflict emerged immediately Israel was born as a state on 15th May 1948 (Moshe, 1977). It is a conflict that has seen many resolution efforts hit the wall or fail the test of time. This is the conflict that this paper will undertake to tackle in the final project. The conflict has its roots in the bible times, and is one of the oldest continuing conflicts in the world. However for the purposes of this project, the paper will trace the conflict from the time of the birth of Israel as a nation in 1948 (Moshe, 1977).
The contentious issue is the claim by the Palestinians that the Israelis have taken their land. Israelis claim that the land in question has been their ancestral land since time immemorial. Land has been the central issue especially the Gaza strip. With time the issue has taken on terrorism as the other point of conflict (Schellenberg, 1992).
The central players in this conflict are the Israeli government, the Palestinian administration, and terrorist group Hamas. The secondary players include the Arab community especially the nations of Lebanon and Syria. Other secondary players include the US and the UN. The paper will examine the said conflict using the psychological theories of conflict resolution.
