The State of Civil Peace in Palestinian Society During Wartime: Challenges and Pathways for Reinforcement.

This study examines the state of civil peace in Palestinian society during wartime, with a focus on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It aims to identify the key dimensions whose weakness or absence contributes to the decline of civil peace and to explore potential mechanisms for strengthening it within the Palestinian context. The study also investigates whether significant differences exist in the level of civil peace according to demographic variables, including place of residence, gender, occupation, educational level, and age group.

A descriptive–analytical approach was employed, and a questionnaire developed by the researcher was used as the primary data collection instrument. The study sample consisted of 456 respondents from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The findings indicate that the overall level of civil peace in Palestinian society is relatively low, with slight variations in favor of the West Bank. The results further show that the dimensions of justice and the rule of law, as well as community security and safety, represent the most influential factors affecting the level of civil peace when they are weakened or absent. In terms of strengthening civil peace, the findings highlight the importance of promoting a culture of tolerance and acceptance of diversity, alongside ensuring fairness in the distribution of essential public services, particularly healthcare, education, water, and electricity.

The results also reveal statistically significant differences in the level of civil peace attributable to place of residence, favoring the West Bank, while no statistically significant differences were found with respect to gender, occupation, educational level, or age group. Based on these findings, the study recommends strengthening the role of socialization institutions in promoting values of social cohesion, supporting security, political, and societal stability, and reinforcing the rule of law as a fundamental pillar for building and sustaining civil peace.