about the role of religion in society. For example, under what circumstances does religion become politicized? When the religion does become politicized, what are its objectives? Perhaps most importantly, do small radical factions represent the religion as a whole? As one author points out, "Islam is only a part of the culture of the region. It does not explain what happens; rather, it is appropriated in different ways by different social classes, social sectors, and historical times" (Hovsepian 3).
Thus, when attempting to isolate the concept of Arab, or Muslim, or Islamic political identity, it is important to isolate the particular political movement that is being referred to. Since this paper will focus on the political identities at pl`y in the Israel-Palestine conflict, we will first take a brief look at the political history involved in the creation of Israel.
The IsraeliùPalestinian conflict involves a deeply rooted enmity between the two ethnic groups that has dragged on for over a century. It is a conflict that extends into an
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