If the conflict is about the size of Israel, then long and difficult negotiations can eventually resolve the problem. But if the conflict is about the existence of Israel, then serious negotiation is impossible.
Interpretation
The quote distinguishes between negotiating territorial disputes and existential conflicts.
Bernard Lewis emphasizes that some conflicts can be resolved through negotiation if they pertain to specific issues, like territory. However, if the conflict centers on fundamental existence, such negotiations are futile, highlighting the depth and complexity of certain disputes in geopolitics.
In practice
During a discussion on international relations, one might reference this quote to emphasize the complexity of certain negotiations.
During the first formative centuries of its existence, Christianity was separated from and indeed antagonistic to the state, with which it only later became involved. From the lifetime of its founder, Islam was the state, and the identity of religion and government is indelibly stamped on the memories and awareness of the faithful from their own sacred writings, history, and experience.
Feminist: A person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.
Contemporary industrial society is now characterised more than ever by "the need for stupefying work where it is no longer a real necessity."
There cannot be perfect civilization until Man realizes that the rights of every living creature are as sacred as his own.
The name Yunupingu means 'rock - rock that stands against time'. The name Yunupingu belonged to my grandad, like he was a hero in his time. It was passed down through the generations to my Father. It's a name that makes us understand who we are, where we're coming from and what our connections are to mother earth and the universe.
Labor is the curse of the world, and nobody can meddle with it without becoming proportionately brutalized.
The solution of the social problem is in liberty.
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