Between Hope and History: An Integral View on Israel-Palestine

Mark FischlerCognitive, Ethical, Integral Justice Warrior, Moral, Politics, Video, World Affairs


Become a supporting member to watch the full conversation

Humanity is entering the Transformation Age, a new era of human civilization, with Integral Consciousness rising at its leading edge. Our members don’t use Integral Life as just another media subscription they use weekly or discard. Instead, most stay with us for years, using Integral Life to learn Integral Philosophy and build an integral mind slowly, methodically and when they need it. We’re here to help you shape the future that’s emerging no matter where your life takes you.

Get Full Access For $1 (30 days)* Or explore all membership plans → * Trial price for the first 30 days, then $20/month. Cancel or switch plans in 2 minutes at any time.

Mark Fischler and Corey deVos bring some integral perspective to the Israel-Palestine conflict, navigating the multiple nested contexts that make this issue one of the most enduring and complex in modern history. The conversation explores the critical tensions between different historical legacies, cultural identities, and political intricacies, all contributing to a seemingly intractable conflict that defies simplistic narratives. With deep compassion and empathy, Mark and Corey acknowledge the ongoing violence and suffering experienced by people on both sides, underscoring the urgent need for solutions that address these deep-rooted issues.

The discussion delves into the historical context, recognizing how events dating back over a century continue to shape current realities and perceptions. They explore cultural and religious dimensions, highlighting how deeply ingrained beliefs and identities add layers to the conflict. The role of external global politics is examined, acknowledging how international influences and geopolitical interests complicate the path to peace. Fischler and deVos emphasize the critical need for an integral approach, one that can holistically address the myriad factors at play – from economic disparities to cultural differences to psychological traumas and beyond. This approach, they argue, is likely the only way forward, as it transcends traditional political and diplomatic strategies, aiming to step beyond conflicting narratives and meet the needs of all involved parties.

However, they are also careful to approach this topic with great humility, recognizing that while conflicts as complex as these likely require integral systemic solutions, those solutions have yet to emerge in a concrete form. As such, this conversation is a call for continued dialogue, innovation, and exploration of integral solutions, acknowledging that the path to peace is complex, and the solutions need to be as multifaceted as the conflict itself. Their insights offer a profound understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict, inviting listeners to contemplate the nuances and seek paths that foster greater understanding, coexistence, and lasting peace.

Key Questions:

Here are some questions you can contemplate while listening to this discussion. We suggest you take some time to use these as journaling prompts.

  • How do historical narratives influence current perspectives? Reflect on how the history of the region, as discussed in the transcript, shapes the current attitudes and actions of both Israelis and Palestinians.
  • What are the roles of cultural and religious identities in the conflict? Consider how cultural and religious identities contribute to the conflict and what this implies for potential resolutions.
  • How do economic and material conditions (the ‘base’) impact the conflict? Analyze how socio-economic factors influence the positions and decisions of the involved parties.
  • What are the effects of external global politics on the conflict? Think about how international relations and global politics play into the dynamics of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
  • How does the concept of ‘othering’ exacerbate the conflict? Reflect on the ways in which both sides might ‘other’ each other and how this impacts the possibility of empathy and understanding.
  • How does media portrayal affect public perception of the conflict? Think critically about the role of media in shaping your own and others’ views on the conflict.
  • What role does individual and collective trauma play? Reflect on how historical and ongoing trauma experienced by both sides influences the conflict and its resolution.
  • How can different stages of cognitive and ethical development inform approaches to the conflict? Consider how perspectives from various developmental stages (e.g., Amber, Orange, Green) might offer different solutions.
  • What does an integral approach to this conflict look like? Think about how an integral approach, which encompasses multiple perspectives and levels of reality, could offer a more comprehensive solution to the conflict.

Related Polarities

Here are some of the most critical polarities to consider while listening to this broadcast.

Previous Episodes of Integral Justice Warrior

Between Hope and History: An Integral View on Israel-Palestine

Between Hope and History: An Integral View on Israel-Palestine

Mark Fischler
Mark Fischler and Corey deVos bring some integral perspective to the Israel-Palestine conflict, navigating the multiple nested contexts that make this issue one of the most enduring and complex in modern history. The conversation explores the critical tensions between different historical legacies, cultural identities, and political intricacies, all contributing to a seemingly intractable conflict that defies simplistic narratives. With deep compassion and empathy, Mark and Corey acknowledge the ongoing violence and suffering experienced by people on both sides, underscoring the urgent need for solutions that address these deep-rooted issues.
Peace, Love, and Politics: A Campaign to Transform America

Peace, Love, and Politics: A Campaign to Transform America

Marianne Williamson
In this episode of Integral Justice Warrior we are joined by special guest, longtime friend, and Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson to take an inside look at her campaign and the core principles of love, peace, and compassion that it is built upon.
Accountability Matters: A Call for Ethics, Empathy, and Equality

Accountability Matters: A Call for Ethics, Empathy, and Equality

Mark Fischler
In this thought-provoking podcast discussion, Mark Fischler and Corey deVos delve into the intricacies of Trump's legal battles, the pursuit of accountability in politics, and the complexities of maintaining empathy and justice in a polarized society.
Transform the Police: A More Integral Approach to Law Enforcement

Transform the Police: A More Integral Approach to Law Enforcement

Chris Orrey
Mark and Corey are joined by Chris Orrey, a retired police lieutenant with over 30 years of service with the Hayward, California Police Department, to discuss the abuse and resulting death of Tyre Nichols, who was severely beaten and ultimately killed by five Memphis police officers after a routine traffic stop. What allowed this tragedy (and others like it) to take place? What sorts of personal, cultural, and institutional transformation are necessary to prevent something like this from occurring again?
Taking Justice Personally

Taking Justice Personally

Mark Fischler
Mark and Corey offer an intimate sharing of their personal stories, reflecting on some of the most formative experiences in their own lives that influenced their interest and enactment of justice. It is a tender and heartfelt conversation that we hope not only allows you to better understand their own passions and perspectives, but also invites you to reflect in a similar way on the critical fulcrums in your own life, and how these experiences continue to shape your standards of goodness, integrity, and justice.
Abortion, Freedom, and the Sanctity of Life

Abortion, Freedom, and the Sanctity of Life

Cindy Wigglesworth
Watch as Cindy Wigglesworth, Mark Fischler, and Corey deVos take a careful look at the Supreme Court’s deeply controversial decision to overrule Roe vs. Wade, and the subsequent banning of abortion access in dozens of states across the country. How does something like the sanctity of life change from one developmental stage to another? How do integral "metaphysics of wholeness" inform our views? Watch to find out.
Has the Supreme Court Lost Its Way?

Has the Supreme Court Lost Its Way?

Mark Fischler
Watch as Mark and Corey discuss the legitimacy crisis the Court is now faced with, the dangers of an “originalist” reading of the U.S. Constitution, and the failure of the left to produce a coherent legal theory to steer the Court (and the rest of the country) toward a better, more inclusive, and more stable vision of democracy.
What’s Wrong With Education (And How Can We Fix It?)

What’s Wrong With Education (And How Can We Fix It?)

Mark Fischler
Broken education produces broken people. How can integral perspectives and practices help our education systems generate more happy, healthy, and wholesome kids? Watch as Mark and Corey take a close look at the many dysfunctions, injustices, and failures we see in our education system — both within the system (how and what kids are being taught) as well as surrounding the system (access to education, funding, etc.).
What Is Integral Justice?

What Is Integral Justice?

Mark Fischler
Mark and Corey go back to basics by returning to some of the guiding principles running through the series — namely, how to enact justice in all four quadrants in order to support more equal opportunities and more equal outcomes, while reducing suffering for the greatest number of people.
Justice Breyer, Originalism, and the Engine of Enfoldment

Justice Breyer, Originalism, and the Engine of Enfoldment

Mark Fischler
Mark and Corey take a look at the life, legacy, and retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, and what distinguished his judgements and legal philosophy from other Supreme Court Justices. We then examine the legal doctrine of “originalism” — the idea that our founding documents should only be interpreted according to the specific contexts and understandings of the time they were written.
Wicked Problems: Bringing Wisdom and Compassion to Immigration

Wicked Problems: Bringing Wisdom and Compassion to Immigration

Magdalena Smieszek
Immigration matters have been viewed by many as a "wicked problem" — implying a complexity that has sets of values in tension, something societies have dealt with since the very dawn of civilization itself. Watch as Magdalena, Mark, and Corey offer their own ideas and reflect on the reasons this issue has become one of the central fault lines in the culture wars.
Afghanistan: Meeting at the Crossroads of Complexity, Chaos, and Compassion

Afghanistan: Meeting at the Crossroads of Complexity, Chaos, and Compassion

Magdalena Smieszek
Magdalena, Mark, and Corey try to bring a bit more wisdom and compassion to the topic of America’s occupation and withdrawal from Afghanistan, while holding a space for all the complexity, chaos, and heartbreak that is flooding our awareness.
The Forgotten People: Restoring Justice for Indigenous Cultures

The Forgotten People: Restoring Justice for Indigenous Cultures

Magdalena Smieszek
Join Mark, Corey, and special guest Magdalena Smieszek as they take a careful look at the many indignities and injustices that have been inflicted on indigenous populations in North America and around the world over the last several years, decades, and centuries.
Israel/Palestine: Where Do We Go From Here?

Israel/Palestine: Where Do We Go From Here?

Magdalena Smieszek
Watch as Magdalena, Mark, and corey explore the long and complex history of the region, offer their own thoughts on whether Israel qualifies as an “apartheid state”, and suggest some next step solutions in order to inch ourselves closer to genuine peace, stability, and justice for the men, women, and children on all sides of this seemingly intractable conflict.
What’s Wrong With Policing in America?

What’s Wrong With Policing in America?

Mark Fischler
Why do we see so many cases of apparent police abuse being recorded so frequently, but punished so rarely? What are some possible solutions that can help create more social trust for our police organizations, and a more peaceful society for all of us? Watch as Mark and Corey take a careful look at the Derek Chauvin verdict — and at the state of policing itself in America — as they offer their own personal views and try to sort through the conflicting narratives surrounding this tragically controversial cultural fault line.
Heartbreak in Boulder: Finding Meaning in the Wake of Tragedy

Heartbreak in Boulder: Finding Meaning in the Wake of Tragedy

Mark Fischler
On March 22nd, a mass shooting took place at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado which claimed the lives of 10 people. What follows is a heart-full conversation that invites all of us to bring more awareness to the full spectrum of emotion that is likely moving through all of us right now, a much-needed reminder that the integral heart is big enough for all of this, because it is a heart that is both utterly unbreakable, as well as always-already broken.
From Woke to Awake: An Intersectionality of Perspective

From Woke to Awake: An Intersectionality of Perspective

Mark Fischler
Mark and Corey have a rich and far-reaching discussion about our present political realities and challenges, dedicating the first half of the discussion to some of the major headlines from the last few weeks, and then exploring ways to elevate “woke culture” into a genuine “post-woke” integral sensibility.
Biden’s First Month, Trump’s Second Impeachment, and Cancelling Cancel Culture

Biden’s First Month, Trump’s Second Impeachment, and Cancelling Cancel Culture

Mark Fischler
How is the Biden Presidency going so far? Will Donald Trump be convicted in the Senate for his impeachment trial? Now that the political left has regained tentative control of our government, what do we do about “cancel culture” and other illiberal tendencies coming from the left? Watch this latest episode of Integral Justice Warrior as Mark and Corey shine a light upon these three questions.
Insurrection, Censorship, and Madness

Insurrection, Censorship, and Madness

Mark Fischler
Mark and Corey take an in-depth look at the heart-breaking events at the Capitol, offering their own full-spectrum response to this American travesty. They also discuss the response coming from corporations such as Google, Twitter, and Facebook, who are now beginning to purge their platforms of far-right voices and Q anon supporters. Is censorship ever the right thing to do? If you think you have a simple answer to the question, you might be missing something important.
Supreme Court, Systemic Racism, and Sea Monsters

Supreme Court, Systemic Racism, and Sea Monsters

Mark Fischler
Mark and Corey discuss the state of Trump’s challenges to the election results (e.g. “The Kraken”), the recent Supreme Court decision around religious liberties in the face of a pandemic, and what it says about Amy Coney Barrett’s future tenure as Supreme Court Justice, and whether Joe Biden’s plans to address racial justice are coming from healthy liberal values and methods of enforcement, or from unhealthy illiberal (woke) values and enforcement.
Mark Fischler

About Mark Fischler

Mark Fischler is a Professor of Criminal justice and current program coordinator for the criminal justice and criminology programs at Plymouth State University. Prior to joining the Plymouth State faculty, he practiced law, representing poor criminal defendants for the New Hampshire Public Defender’s Office. Mark has worked extensively with alternative theoretical models in law, constitutional law, and higher education, and has published on integral applications to teaching, being a lawyer, and legal theory. His focus in the classroom is ethics and criminal procedure, and is well respected for a teaching philosophy that emphasizes recognizing the humanity and dignity of each student. Professor Fischler was awarded the outstanding teaching award at his university in 2014. He currently offers a weekly Spiritual Inquiry class through Satya Yoga Studio.

Corey deVos

About Corey deVos

Corey W. deVos is editor and producer of Integral Life. He has worked for Integral Institute/Integal Life since Spring of 2003, and has been a student of integral theory and practice since 1996. Corey is also a professional woodworker, and many of his artworks can be found in his VisionLogix art gallery.