This time of year marks another anniversary of a historical event that Israelis and Palestinians remember in dramatically different ways. For Israelis—and many Jews around the world—the 1967 Six-Day War represents another miraculous victory that ensured the survival of the Jewish state. For Palestinians, it marks the beginning of nearly six decades of military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Yet this anniversary carries a different significance for another segment of Israeli society. For many Israeli Jews, particularly those who identify as religious Zionists, the 1967 war marks the reunification of Judea and Samaria—the biblical term used by many within their community for what is more commonly known internationally as the West Bank.

As a liberal Zionist, I have spent years trying to better understand the Palestinian narrative. I have read Palestinian testimonies and engaged in face-to-face dialogue with ordinary Palestinians. Understanding the perspective of the other side is a value I hold deeply, and I have often encouraged my fellow Zionists—liberal and religious alike—to do the same. I believe that genuine efforts to understand one another are essential to any future peace and reconciliation between our peoples.

Over time, however, I began to realize that if I believed it was important to understand the Palestinian narrative, then I should also make an effort to understand the perspective of religious Zionists and Jewish settlers who dream of Greater Israel.

In that spirit, I decided to examine my own journey toward better understanding religious Zionists, including how I learned to empathize with them and how I seek to include them in my vision for peace.

The first stage of that journey began at the Gush Katif Museum in Jerusalem, a memorial museum dedicated to preserving the memory........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)