Zan, Zindagi, Azadi

As missiles fall silent—for now—it's time to explore whether the heart of the Iran-Israel conflict lies in a deeper battle over culture and values

- Mandana Tishehyar

FOR now, Israel and Iran have ceased military attacks against each other. Although the situation appears unstable, there's hope that a renewed “war of cities” will not afflict civilians. This is an opportunity to reflect on the reasons behind a conflict anticipated for years. Does the dispute stem from Iran’s nuclear programme? Would the conflict end if Iran did not possess the programme? Or should the roots of their disagreements be sought in other factors?

Evidently, the conflict between Israel and the countries of West Asia and North Africa is rooted more deeply in the identity foundations of these societies than in political and military issues. Since the end of World War II, struggles in the region have been over “territorial identity” rather than “lands”. As a symbol of Western civilisation in this part of the world, Israel has tried to carve out a place for itself. It has sometimes succeeded—through war or dialogue—in aligning certain governments with itself and rendering others indifferent, yet it has failed to find a stronghold among the peoples of various societies.

Iran’s society’s animosity towards this Western symbol dates back to the Pahlavi era. Despite the government's diplomatic relations with Israel, memoirs, for instance of the aristocrat Asadollah Alam, published in English as The Shah and I: The Confidential Diary of Iran’s Royal Court reveal how cautious the government was of public reactions to relations with Israel.