JERUSALEM - a conflict arose between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters after some Palestinians threw rocks at the officers at a holy site called Temple Mount. This site is considered to be holy for both Muslims and Jews as it carries significant religious meaning for both groups. The conflict culminated in the use of stun grenades to disperse the rioters. However, Palestinians say that the conflict erupted because Israeli soldiers were expecting a violent uprising motivated by a group called Islamic Movement and thus were quick to use force. At least 17 Muslims were injured in the conflict. Max Weber's theoretical concepts were able to explain many phenomena in society thoroughly because his theories did not assume that one central motivation such as economic gain was the only force behind people's behavior. For this event, Weber developed two concepts that are immediately germane.
[...] This social closure is enforced legally through a government and police force as one can read in the article. The police quell any attempts to attain inappropriate influence over this land by members of other status groups. On the other hand, Palestinians do not have ownership over their land but rather have authority over particular territories. They unite under the common characteristics of ethnicity, religion and location and thus have a status group established around these characteristics. The Muslim Palestinians also have privileges over the land that they can control: the West Bank and the Gaza strip. [...]
[...] Such restrictions are thus manifested in what Weber calls social closure. Whenever a status group prevents people from outside of the group from enjoying particular privileges shared by those in the group, social closure is in effect. This phenomenon draws a stark parallel between social status and class in that both exhibit some kind of monopolization. In the class system, wealth is monopolized while in the status system, a lifestyle is monopolized. In the monopolization of lifestyle, particular opportunities are denied from those who stand outside of the status group. [...]
[...] Both Israelis and Palestinians see themselves as members of their particular status groups and each group attempts to establish social closure particularly over the control of Jerusalem which is a holy site for both groups. Both sides wish to defend this social closure as they are driven by both material and honorific (nation) interests in this land. This article describes a violent manifestation of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis over the contested territorial boundaries that were established by Israel in 1967. [...]
[...] Moreover, Weber expressed the idea of a “cultural mission” (Gerth and Mills 176) which applies very well to the Palestinian status group, particularly in the realm of its religious creed. In the article a Palestinian man states, is the duty of every Muslim to protect the Aksa mosque” (Kershner 2). This idea shows how pervasive this cultural mission is for the Palestinian status group. The common religious creed gives them a common mission; to protect its holy land. One can see here that the Palestinians have a specified duty to protect this land from people they consider invaders or occupiers. [...]
[...] Status groups yearn for some kind of privilege and thus they defend this privilege through social closure; they usurp these privileges from other groups. The other theoretical concept that applies to this even is the distinction between the two main interests that drive conflict: material and honorific. Weber addresses this idea in terms of the motivations behind imperialism. He first describes the more obvious motivation—material interest. Material interest includes all motivations that lead to a gain in physical benefits. That is, monetary, or occupational benefits that might result from conflict. [...]
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