From Co‐existence to Shared Society: A Paradigm Shift in Intercommunity Peacebuilding Among Jews and Arabs in Israel

Abstract

The discourse regarding Jewish–Arab intercommunity peacebuilding processes is undergoing major changes in recent years, gradually shifting from “coexistence” as the desired outcome to “shared society.” This article suggests that this transition portrays a paradigm shift that should be acknowledged and taken into account by peacebuilding activists and conflict specialists. The first section describes various common understandings of this shift in the context of Jewish-Arab relations in Israel. Section two will describe the underpinnings of the paradigm shift from individualistic to relational understanding of the self and argue that this shift is consistent with the wish for transition to “shared society” and to develop more dialogic frameworks of groups’ shared living. Section three will present a case study, the work of Givat Haviva, emphasizing the relational premises that can be found in its methodology to cultivate a shared society among Jews and Arabs in Israel.