This paper posits that the increasing similarity between Palestinians and Jews in Israel, brought about partly by the rising Palestinian middle class embracing the Israeli lifestyle, Israel becoming more Middle Eastern and increased interaction between individuals from both communities, triggers a surge in ethnocentric attitudes and moral apprehension among the rival groups, which to some extant culminated with the Hamas atrocities in October 7.
As the well-defined boundaries between Jews and Palestinians become less distinct, with Palestinians striving to integrate into middle-class Israeli society and Israel and especially its Mizrahim, adopting more Middle Eastern characteristics, a sense of moral panic has emerged within the dominant faction of Israeli society. Yet, as these similarities become more evident, can it present an opportunity for both sides to recognize common ground and potentially work towards peace?