The Power of Place

Why we are hard-wired to become attached to a particular piece of land—and how these primal tendencies may be playing out in Israeli-Palestinian disputes.

By Wray Herbert | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jan 7, 2009

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  • Posted By: fixtedwingonwheels @ 01/19/2009 3:38:43 PM

    Religion from a practical aspect is delusional thinking,how can anything rational be derived from it.

  • Posted By: headdown @ 01/08/2009 2:37:15 AM

    You must be joking. You don't include the influence of religious belief as a factor in the attachment of Jews to the land of the middle - east? It is the illogical and primative religious beliefs of both sides that create the lack of flexibility when it comes to that particluar piece of land. Everyone is attached to the land of their country, but religion distorts and magnifies this in the middle - east until we have the insanity and blind hatred that we see today in Gaza and Israel. How could you leave religion out of the equation in this study?

    • Posted By: hyjanks @ 01/08/2009 2:20:39 PM

      Exactly. Read my comment concerning the same "theory".

      • Posted By: Earthwalker @ 01/09/2009 12:50:26 PM

        You seem to be the one hung up on religious tunnel vision hyjanks.

  • Posted By: hyjanks @ 01/08/2009 2:18:33 PM

    An attachment to religion has more to do with this conflict than anything else. Take away religion and concern for ethnicity and at least you have a starting point for negotiations over where one is going to live.
    I see the author failed to mention anything about sacred areas of this desert and the obsession of everyone involved in preserving these bits and pieces of real estate for their and only their mumbo jumbo religious rites.
    I've brought this theory up with several friends and acquaintences who look at me at least quizzically, some with a look of disdain in their eyes. Which makes me realize just how embedded this idea of god is in our psyche and how difficult it will be to remove it--for the betterment of mankind.

    • Posted By: Earthwalker @ 01/09/2009 12:33:32 AM

      Crowds and power suggest that our proclivity to violance towards each other is far more primortal than could possibly be discussed here in short text, yet alone the convienience of a simple religious explaination. Any living creature will fight for its territory. Religion and hatred be damn'd. Hatred is only a symptom not the illness. Relligion only an excuse not the core. I suppose to the jews they where drivin out of Egypt, persecuted by the Nazi's and now unwanted by the Palastinians. I know I have lived next door to people that I did not want as a neighbor. I was so pleased when they moved out. I was mortified by those that came after them. Be careful what you wish for! Both the Jew and the Palastinians need to live somewhere... What if they moved next door to you? What would you do to curb your proclivity to disdain and embrace your fellow man... Would you? More importantly could you?

      • Posted By: hyjanks @ 01/09/2009 9:47:58 AM

        Read the religious text of both cultures. And then get back to me.

  • Posted By: freedom_for_everyone @ 01/08/2009 12:44:01 AM

    Interesting ideas. As a social scientist, why do you think some people do not hold such strong attachment to land? I do not believe any god gave any portion of land to any group of men. Furthermore, I do not believe any god said the chosen people are allowed to kill and drive out the original occupants. Consequently, I think Zionism, Manifest Destiny and similar ideologies are fallacious and criminal, created by the powerful to justify their Might is Right actions. I do not believe in Essences infused in "the Land" although many ignorant peoples do. I don't feel a specific tie to a hometown or ancestral home, although my mother does. Have I just brainwashed myself out of my natural instincts? Why is everyone not driven to kill for land. Why do some feel more connection with people who are different from themselves? Why do some want to feel for the dispossessed, while others can only feel their own pain? You suggest instinct is driving the desire of Zionists to drive Palestinians from the land where they lived just a few decades, years, months ago? Isn't this just brainwashing of another kind? People see the distortions of the religions of others, but cannot accept that their religion might also be founded on a lie (such as Abraham's Covenant). Why did the researcher not ask the real question?...suppose everything you believe about your Religion is wrong...and Jews are not the Chosen People...Would that change their opinion? I totally believe in the starting premise of the researchers that biological instinct influences our seeming intellectual life, but feel that in the case of Israel/Palestine, there is a reinforcement based on an intellectually dishonest proposition that the land "belongs" to Jews because the Bible says so.

    I hope Newsweek will bring more articles like this, rather than stupid rants from Rabbis propagating lies. In order to live together, we need to examiner why we act as we do.

    • Posted By: carbrad50 @ 01/08/2009 8:29:18 AM

      You seem to not understand Mr freedom for all that Israel is the USA only friend in another hostile region. They have democratic goverment and a very successful economy. Isreal gave back Gaza to the Arabs only to have it turned into a terroist state and a launching pad for attacks against a soverign state. Forget about a Jewish state for a minute and tell me what your feelings would be if missile attacks came from Mexico into Houston Texas or attacks launched from Canada. Israel is surrounded by their enemies but tries to live in peace.

      • Posted By: hyjanks @ 01/08/2009 2:23:29 PM

        I see you've said nothing about his basic premise of religion being the root of all evil in these circumstances. Care to comment on that?

        • Posted By: freedom_for_everyone @ 01/09/2009 3:20:07 AM

          Thanks for recognizing my true point. I do not discriminate against a single religion. I also do not believe an executed man can come alive after being entombed for 3 days. I also do not believe that one person should clean *** because of a past life (and I was a janitor for some years and enjoyed it). I just want to try to see the world clearly and I believe religion is so full of falsehoods that we all should throw it out and think through how to live on our own.

      • Posted By: freedom_for_everyone @ 01/09/2009 3:09:54 AM

        Thanks for making the Mexicans attack US analogy. I have heard this and similar analogies a lot during the last several weeks. Thanks for providing me the opportunity explain my view.

        First Palestine is not a country (like Mexico), but is land under military occupation since 1967.

        Second, I recommend you read the 4th Geneva convention: The Fourth Geneva Convention (or GCIV) relates to the protection of civilians during times of war "in the hands" of an enemy and under any military occupation by a foreign power. This is the situation in Palestine today...Israel being the occupying foreign power. The GCIV further defines who is a Protected person: Persons protected by the Convention are those who find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands of a Party to the conflict or Occupying Power of which they are not nationals. In this case, the Palestinians are protected persons who are not Israelis. Under GCIV, Israel is FORBIDDEN to enact: collective punishment and all measure of intimidation, reprisals against Protected persons and their property. GCIV further provides that persons displaced during armed conflict must be transferred back to their homes as soon as hostilities in the area in question have ceased. According to my understanding, Israel has performed collective punishment through their blockage of the basic necessities of life throughout the occupation, killed Palestinian children, destroyed Palestinian's houses and have not allowed Palestinians to return to their homes within the current internationally recognized boundaries of Israel.

        TO BE CONTINUED...

        • Posted By: freedom_for_everyone @ 01/09/2009 3:12:28 AM

          CONTINUED...

          I find your analogy between US/Mexico and Israel/Palestine unpersuasive. Millions of Palestinians ARE Non-Combatants. Therefore, I believe Israel???s behavior toward these non-combatants is a War Crime as defined by the 4th Geneva Convention. The Palestinians are under occupation and Gaza was under absolute Israeli Military Occupation from 1967 to 2005.

          I find your argument fallacious and intellectually dishonest. A better analogy would be American Indians/US Policy of settling the West (justified by Manifest Destiny) to Israel's occupation, dislocation, and Settlement upon Palestinian land (justified by Zionism). Both are based upon an ideology of Cultural or Divinely indicated superiority. Both are morally wrong. Both were resisted by a militarily weaker group: Indians using arrows against rifles and Palestinians "lobbing rockets" against armored tanks and jet fighters with laser guided missiles. This is a closer analogy. Can either the expropriation of Indian Land by the USA or the Israeli occupation be justified? I would suggest it is not.

          In the end, most Israelis just do not care that Palestinians die or suffer. They just want to live their peaceful quite life while their military causes great suffering to millions of people. They want to ignore the unpleasant truth. Their callousness is all the more appalling because, since the end of WWII, they have proclaimed that many people in Europe ignored the suffering of their Jewish ancestors. It is hard to understand while in the midst of the current situation, but if you really get honest with yourself, it might give you a different view of other peoples.

          In fact, your attempt to persuade me that I should sympathize with the Israeli viewpoint actually makes me believe that you are in denial and deceiving yourself. Don't worry, you're not alone. I just hope you don't commit horrible crimes or justify them only to regret it years later. It is better to come around early, rather than later.

          Good luck.

      • Posted By: el paso @ 01/08/2009 12:14:00 PM

        I never see the term" Palestinian land" The conversation about that land should refer to and start with the premise that it was "Palestinian land." given to Jews over guilt for allowing Hitler his insane rampage. Now, that is a fact.

  • Posted By: scripturewise @ 01/08/2009 8:35:37 PM

    You must remember that the basic premise in this situation is that Jews consider Israel to be the land of their inheritance promised to them by their God. Look at how they have survived and flourished as a nation despite being surrounded by the children of Abraham through Ishmael. IT'S IN THE BIBLE GUYS.

  • Posted By: perrin @ 01/08/2009 8:07:46 PM

    Interesting article, but stil a bunch horses**t research. (not yours, theirs) This fight has nothing to do with 'essences' , it has to do with hate. and hate is winning. It's the history of the land they are fighting over. The sad part is, you can't separate history from land or people from their history. Its a stalemate like a bad tic tac toe game, only this time people are dying to stay in the game. Even sadder is the ethnicity and religion connection as hyjanks so graphicly illustrates.

    Part of that statement bears repeating for the benefit of mankind. It is as follows:

    "I see the author failed to mention anything about sacred areas of this desert and the obsession of everyone involved in preserving these bits and pieces of real estate for their and only their mumbo jumbo religious rites."


  • Posted By: Earthwalker @ 01/08/2009 1:21:54 PM

    re;. Elias Canetti writes about the Jews in 'Crowds and Power' that, 'Their legendary forefather had been promised progeny numerous as the sand on the shores of the sea. Now this progeny exist and wanders, sand through the sand of the desert. The sea allows them to pass, but it closes over their enemies. Their goal is a promised land, which their swords will conquer for them;. I suppose it is not easy to relenquish a land you fightso hard to remain upon?

  • Posted By: el paso @ 01/08/2009 12:06:05 PM

    I only see "land of Istael in these articles but never "the land of Palestine or the Palestinians?

  • Posted By: O'real @ 01/08/2009 11:47:33 AM

    Is it the land or ownership? Ownership is power and execution is its deliverance. British/Arabs, Jewish/British, Jewish/Arabs and Isreali/Muslim have been and are struggles for power. American Indians were vanquished by the Europeans. I guess "might makes right" temporaily or permanently. I hope the Arabs win eventually, because Israel could have become a democractic state, shared power a long time ago but chose tyranny like Nazis.

  • Posted By: O'real @ 01/08/2009 11:25:37 AM

    Is it land or ownership? The right to ownership is appealing to an indiviual because it is power. So the crux of today's conflict was set in motion during the early 20th century. British/Arab, British/Jewish, Jewish/Arab and Irealie/Muslim its not the land but what is just and might makes right.

  • Posted By: sayyestochess @ 01/08/2009 8:01:03 AM

    NotSoBigMac - "Don't get me wrong, I support the two-state solution, but the "Palestinians" don't accept that, because they want to wipe Israel off the map (and Ahmadinejad's posturing is not exactly helpful). So how do you negotiate in that situation?"

    First off, thats only in the Hamas Charter and doesn't represent ALL Palestinians.

    Second, even Hamas leaders have stated several times that, if Israel were to move back to the pre-67 terriroies, it would drop that statement from its Charter.

    Third, the word "Palestine" has been used for centuries to refer to that area prior to Israel for centuries. In addition, many Palestinians hold legal proof that they were inhabitants of that area long before the creation of Israel.


    Facts are just not your friend, are they, NotSoBigMac?

  • Posted By: sayyestochess @ 01/08/2009 7:55:48 AM

    NotSoBigMac - "Oh, and though I love the islands where I spent my childhood, I am not shooting rockets at the current inhabitants... although I got the short end of the stick in the deal. Home really is where the heart is - it is the people you live with."

    Were you forcefully expelled or forced to live in in a Virtual prison? If not then STFU moron

  • Posted By: NotSoBigMac @ 01/08/2009 5:32:14 AM

    Oh, and though I love the islands where I spent my childhood, I am not shooting rockets at the current inhabitants... although I got the short end of the stick in the deal. Home really is where the heart is - it is the people you live with.

  • Posted By: NotSoBigMac @ 01/08/2009 5:29:17 AM

    Excactly what claim do "Palestinians" (a misleading name for people, who aren't that) have for the land of Israel - other than previously being successful (with the help of others) in their expulsion from their own country?

    Don't get me wrong, I support the two-state solution, but the "Palestinians" don't accept that, because they want to wipe Israel off the map (and Ahmadinejad's posturing is not exactly helpful). So how do you negotiate in that situation?

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