The Israel-Palestine conflict has long been seen as a nationalist conflict over land, not religion. But rising religious extremism is now driving violence and hardening opposition to compromise.
In a region where religious identity shapes most people’s lives, we can no longer ignore religion’s role in the conflict or its resolution. We must confront and replace religion’s destructive influence with new theological narratives that push our communities toward human rights, dignity, and peace.
Last week in Jerusalem, efforts to address religion’s role in the conflict became a coalition effort. A day-long conference organized by Rabbis for Human Rights and the Interfaith Forum for Human Rights brought together 100 leaders representing dozens of Israeli and Palestinian religious institutions and communities.
Through the Forum, they translate human rights into a religious principle, rooted in our different faiths, and empower faith leaders to take action.
This work is critical given the deep harm being done in the name of religion. In the West Bank, settler violence fueled by religious extremism – and sanctioned by some local rabbis – has reached unprecedented levels. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports over 1,600 attacks so far this year, averaging five per day.
I have personally encountered Jewish settlers throwing stones at Palestinian farmers while wearing tefillin and tallit (phylacteries and prayer shawl), as if violence itself were a religious act. Meanwhile, the brutality of the October 7 attacks cast a harsh light on the role of extremist Islam and jihadist theology in promoting violence and sacrificing innocent lives.
How religious principles can help build enduring peace
Because these fanatical movements drive violence in both societies, any serious effort to de-radicalize Israelis and Palestinians must engage religion directly – not as a footnote, but as a core strategy. In fact, religious principles can be a key tool. We can build shared values around the sanctity of life and human dignity when our work is rooted in religious identities.
The Trump 20-Point Peace Plan calls for this kind of work. Point 18 calls for an interfaith dialogue process to “change mindsets and narratives.” But dialogue cannot move forward without taking responsibility for the harm already done in religion’s name. We cannot pretend religion is only a source of light. We must also reckon with the ways in which it is hijacked to cause darkness.
LAST WEEK’S conference modeled the religious transformation that peace will require. It opened with a theological discussion on repentance and repair in the Abrahamic religions, led by four pioneering religious leaders: Dr. Lamma Mansour, a Palestinian-Christian; Nuseiba Sheikh Issa, a member of the Islamic Shura Council; Prof. Haviva Pedaya, a Jewish scholar of mysticism and a well-known poet and author; and Rabbi Na’amah Kelman, the first female rabbi ordained in Israel. In a powerful discussion, they not only offered resistance to religious extremism but also inspired those assembled to take action.
Too often, interfaith dialogue settles for mutual comfort and avoids the hardest questions. If religion is to play a serious role in conflict resolution and de-radicalizing attitudes, however, there is no escape from painful conversations and addressing contemporary challenges. This requires sensitivity and sustained trust-building. The conference showcased one effective approach:
Rev. Gary Mason from Northern Ireland and Maya Savir, an expert in conflict transformation in Africa, offered insights about the role of religion in other global conflict zones, allowing participants to reflect on a less personal context before turning to Israel–Palestine.
However, the focus shifted to a more local and personal level, approaching theology through lived experience. One NGO, Sulha, shared witness statements from Gazans describing their tragedies of the last two years. Another organization, The Rossing Center, facilitated a discussion on the spiritual dilemmas inherent in human rights work.
Religious activists from Bnei Avraham, the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, and Rabbis for Human Rights led a conversation on religion’s role in moral activism. These were not disconnected conversations; they were a community of practice coming together.
As societies around the world are polarized and increasingly avoid difficult conversations, there is an urgent imperative to bring diverse voices together in search of shared values. Religious belief can be a powerful convener, and it must be harnessed as a platform for theological development toward identities compatible with peace and justice.
Ultimately, peace will be signed by political leaders. But without faith leaders who take responsibility to stop the harm done in religion’s name and actively champion human rights, there will be no moral foundation – and no public support – for peace to endure.
The writer is a religious Jewish peace activist in Israel. He is the director of partnerships at Rabbis for Human Rights.