The conflict in Northern Ireland was always territorial: not even the most radical Irish Republican group ever denied the legitimacy of Great Britain – only its rule over the six northern provinces of what they consider United Ireland. The crux of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, by contrast, only partly concerns Israel’s borders. The Palestinians contest not just the post-1967 occupation of the West Bank; since the United Nations partition plan of 1947 – which called for the establishment of two states, one Jewish and one Arab – Palestinians have refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and most Israelis are not convinced that they have totally abandoned that stance.
北爱尔兰的冲突从来都是地域性的：即便是最极端的爱尔兰共和组织也没有否定过大不列颠政府的合法性——而只是否定该政府对爱尔兰北方6省（所谓“联合爱尔兰”）的统治。相比之下，以巴冲突的核心并不仅仅是以色列的边界问题，而是巴勒斯坦人不但反对1967年以后以色列的占领行动；还从1947年分治方案（呼吁成立一个犹太国家和一个阿拉伯国家）出台以来就拒绝承认以色列的存在权，对此许多以色列人也不敢确定巴勒斯坦人是否已经放弃了这种看法