Can You Hold Two Opposing Truths? Conflict, Identity, and Israel–Palestine

Why is it so hard to hold multiple perspectives in conflict—especially when identity, history, and trauma are involved? In this episode, facilitator and negotiator Naseem Khuri shares personal, professional, and historical insights into the Israel–Palestine conflict, and what it reveals about human psychology, polarization, and building trust.

Drawing from his work with governments, organizations, and divided groups, Khuri explores why conflict is not something to eliminate—but something to understand and manage. We discuss the difference between productive and destructive conflict, why people interpret the same reality in completely different ways, and how the “danger of certainty” fuels division.

The conversation examines intergenerational trauma, including how narratives of loss and displacement are passed down across generations—and how these narratives shape identity, belief, and the possibility of resolution. Khuri shares personal stories from his own family’s history in 1948, illustrating how competing narratives can both be true, even when they feel incompatible.

We also explore why empathy is often unrealistic in the midst of active conflict, and what becomes possible instead: building processes, structures, and “containers” that allow people to be heard without requiring agreement. From union disputes to international negotiations, Khuri explains how yelling, misunderstanding, and even breakdowns can sometimes be necessary steps toward deeper understanding—if they are held within the right process.

This episode is not a political debate—it’s an exploration of how humans experience conflict, identity, loss, and meaning.

Видео Can You Hold Two Opposing Truths? Conflict, Identity, and Israel–Palestine канала Transforming Relationships