Conflict will Harden your Heart: Exposure to Violence, Psychological Distress, and Peace Barriers in Israel and Palestine

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 845-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sivan Hirsch-Hoefler ◽  
Daphna Canetti ◽  
Carmit Rapaport ◽  
Stevan E. Hobfoll
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Exposure To Violence ◽  
The West ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Threat Perceptions ◽  
West Bank And Gaza ◽  
The Subject ◽  
East Jerusalem ◽  
Over Time

Does exposure to political violence prompt civilians to support peace? We investigate the determinants of civilian attitudes toward peace during ongoing conflict using two original panel datasets representing Israelis (n=996) and Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza (n=631) (149 communities in total). A multi-group estimation analysis shows that individual-level exposure to terrorism and political violence makes the subject populations less likely to support peace efforts. The findings also confirm psychological distress and threat perceptions as the mechanism that bridges exposure to violence and greater militancy over time. The study breaks ground in showing that individual-level exposure – necessarily accompanied by psychological distress and threat perceptions – is key to understanding civilians’ refusal to compromise in prolonged conflict.

Exposure to Violence, Ethos of Conflict, and Support for Compromise

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daphna Canetti ◽  
Julia Elad-Strenger ◽  
Iris Lavi ◽  
Dana Guy ◽  
Daniel Bar-Tal
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Exposure To Violence ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Peaceful Settlement ◽  
Political Outcomes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
East Jerusalem

Does ongoing exposure to political violence prompt subject groups to support or oppose compromise in situations of intractable conflict? If so, what is the mechanism underlying these processes? Political scholarship neither offers conclusive arguments nor sufficiently addresses individual-level forms of exposure to violence in the context of political conflict, particularly the factors mediating political outcomes. We address this by looking at the impact of exposure to political violence, psychological distress, perceived threat, and ethos of conflict on support for political compromise. A mediated model is hypothesized whereby exposure to political violence provokes support for the ethos of conflict and hinders support for compromise through perceived psychological distress and perceived national threat. We examined representative samples of two parties to the same conflict: Israelis ( N = 781) and Palestinians from Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank ( N = 1,196). The study’s main conclusion is that ethos of conflict serves as a mediating variable in the relationship between exposure to violence and attitudes toward peaceful settlement of the conflict.

scholarly journals Violence, displacement, contact, and attitudes toward hosting refugees

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faten Ghosn ◽  
Alex Braithwaite ◽  
Tiffany S Chu
Keyword(s):  
Political Violence ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Exposure To Violence ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Displaced Populations ◽  
Lebanese Civil War ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Native Populations ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Over Time

How do individuals’ personal experiences with various aspects of political violence affect their attitudes toward hosting conflict refugees? More specifically, how do their personal exposure to violence, their own personal experience of being displaced, and their recent contact with refugees influence these attitudes? To explore answers to these questions, we draw upon a recent survey of 2,400 Lebanese residents where we identify individuals who experienced violence during the Lebanese civil war (1975–90), those forced to flee their homes during that conflict, and those who enjoy recent contact with Syrian immigrant and/or displaced populations. We examine whether these distinct experiences affect respondents’ regard for members of the Syrian refugee population. Results demonstrate that historical exposure to violence and experience of displacement have no discernible impact on individual attitudes toward hosting refugees. We find much stronger evidence that attitudes are associated with whether individual respondents have had contact with Syrians in Lebanon; those with such interactions are significantly more likely to support hosting refugees, to consider hiring a refugee, or to allow one of their children to marry a refugee. Our findings suggest exposure to violence by itself does not correlate to positive sentiments toward refugees, especially over time. Further, finding ways to create positive contact between refugees and native populations may be associated with improving attitudes and relations between the two populations.

Psychological reactions to Israeli occupation: Findings from the national study of school-based screening in Palestine

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 290-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziad Abdeen ◽  
Radwan Qasrawi ◽  
Shibli Nabil ◽  
Mohammad Shaheen
Keyword(s):  
Political Violence ◽  
School Children ◽  
West Bank ◽  
Somatic Complaints ◽  
National Study ◽  
The West ◽  
School Based ◽  
Posttraumatic Symptoms ◽  
West Bank And Gaza ◽  
Israeli Occupation

Children exposed to violent war-like and repeated political violence often experience a continued threat to life and their sense of safety, as well as a disruption of daily functioning. The purpose of the study was to examine the psychological impact of exposure to Israeli occupation on Palestinian school children in the West Bank and Gaza, Palestine. We assessed the association between exposure to occupation and the severity of posttraumatic symptoms and the inter-relationship between posttraumatic symptoms, functional impairment, somatic complaints, and coping strategies in school children. Palestinian students ( n = 2100) from grades 9—11 were screened from both the West Bank ( n = 1235) and Gaza ( n = 724) and responded to self-report questionnaires. Results showed that extensive exposure to violence was associated with higher levels of posttraumatic distress and more somatic complaints in both the West Bank and Gaza regions. More Gaza than West bank students reported symptoms meeting the criteria for PTSD, and more girls than boys in both groups reported somatic complaints. Thus, school-based screening can be an effective method for case identification of students showing PTSD symptoms as a result of exposure to political violence.

The Israeli Settlement Project in the West Bank and Gaza (1967–77)

2019 ◽  
pp. 41-84
Author(s):  
Ehud Eiran
Keyword(s):  
West Bank ◽  
Institutional Capacity ◽  
The West ◽  
Territorial Expansion ◽  
Low Level ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Status ◽  
West Bank And Gaza ◽  
Six Day War ◽  
East Jerusalem

The chapter explains the launch of the Israeli settlement project in Gaza and the West-Bank (Including East-Jerusalem) following Israel’s occupation of these regions in the 1967 Six-Day War. The chapter uses the theory advanced in the book and shows that Israel launched the settlement project in order to secure permanent territorial expansion into these areas. Israel believed that the future of these areas will be determined in a negotiation within the framework of UNSCR 242. The settlement project was meant to affect the outcome of these future talks. The chapter identifies the conditions for the launch of the project: US support and a legal ambiguity regarding the status of these areas, American support, and an institutional capacity to carry out such a project. The local population’s low level of affinity with Israel further contributed to the launch of the project.

Whither the “Children of the Stone”? An Entire Life under Occupation

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian K. Barber ◽  
Clea McNeely ◽  
Chenoa Allen ◽  
Rita Giacaman ◽  
Cairo Arafat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Political Violence ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Political Activism ◽  
The West ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
East Jerusalem ◽  
Large Representative

This article summarizes a uniquely thorough study of the first generation of Palestinians to have lived the whole of their lives under occupation. Findings from group interviews and large, representative surveys of men and women from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in 2011 draw a complex portrait of day-to-day life both currently and historically, including: widespread political activism that they continue to prize; high levels of exposure to often demeaning political violence and restriction of movement; limited access to basic resources, low employment stability and poverty; high levels of social cohesion, but also of lack of safety, political instability, fear for the future, stress, and feeling broken. Most were not optimistic in 2011 about the peace process but remained, confident in their ability to manage what the future brings. The findings also show that each of the three territories has unique types and levels of challenges.

scholarly journals Humiliation and the Inertia Effect: Implications for Understanding Violence and Compromise in Intractable Intergroup Conflicts

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 281-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Ginges ◽  
Scott Atran
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
West Bank ◽  
Inertia Effect ◽  
The West ◽  
Suicide Attacks ◽  
West Bank And Gaza ◽  
Violent Action ◽  
Intergroup Conflicts ◽  
Israeli Occupation

AbstractWe investigated the influence of humiliation on inter-group conflict in three studies of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. We demonstrate that experienced humiliation produces an inertia effect; a tendency towards inaction that suppresses rebellious or violent action but which paradoxically also suppresses support for acts of inter-group compromise. In Study 1, Palestinians who felt more humiliated by the Israeli occupation were less likely to support suicide attacks against Israelis. In Study 2, priming Palestinians with a humiliating experience caused fewer expressions of joy when subsequently hearing about suicide attacks. In Study 3, Palestinians who felt more humiliated by peace deals were less likely to support those deals, while Israeli symbolic compromises that decreased feelings of humiliation increased support for the same deals. While the experience of humiliation does not seem to contribute to political violence, it does seem to suppress support for conflict resolution.

A Palestinian election will fail to materialise

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
West Bank ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Security Control ◽  
West Bank And Gaza ◽  
Territorial Claims ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
Palestinian Territory ◽  
East Jerusalem

Significance That comes just two days after a spokesman announced that the PA had formally asked Israel to allow Palestinian elections to take place in East Jerusalem -- which Israel has annexed but is widely considered to be occupied Palestinian territory. Both Fatah and its rival Hamas (which governs the Gaza Strip) insist that no vote can be held without East Jerusalem. Momentum for holding elections has gathered pace since a new government was installed in the West Bank in April with that explicit mission. Impacts Abbas may issue a decree ordering elections, but this will be meaningless without addressing these concerns. The Israeli right, bolstered by US support for its territorial claims, will resist any PA activity in Jerusalem for ideological reasons. Regardless of any election, Fatah and Hamas will retain security control of the West Bank and Gaza, respectively. Palestinian support for a one-state solution is likely to grow, albeit slowly and from a low base.

Differential Effects of Competence and Morality on Self-Esteem at the Individual and the Collective Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-198
Author(s):  
Wiktor Soral ◽  
Mirosław Kofta
Keyword(s):  
Self Esteem ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Individual

Abstract. The importance of various trait dimensions explaining positive global self-esteem has been the subject of numerous studies. While some have provided support for the importance of agency, others have highlighted the importance of communion. This discrepancy can be explained, if one takes into account that people define and value their self both in individual and in collective terms. Two studies ( N = 367 and N = 263) examined the extent to which competence (an aspect of agency), morality, and sociability (the aspects of communion) promote high self-esteem at the individual and the collective level. In both studies, competence was the strongest predictor of self-esteem at the individual level, whereas morality was the strongest predictor of self-esteem at the collective level.

Without the Power to Drink or Contract

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-48
Author(s):  
Warren Swain
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
Roman Law ◽  
Current Position ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Law ◽  
Over Time

Intoxication as a ground to set aside a contract is not something that has proved to be easy for the law to regulate. This is perhaps not very surprising. Intoxication is a temporary condition of varying degrees of magnitude. Its presence does however raise questions of contractual autonomy and individual responsibility. Alcohol consumption is a common social activity and perceptions of intoxication and especially alcoholism have changed over time. Roman law is surprisingly quiet on the subject. In modern times the rules about intoxicated contracting in Scottish and English law is very similar. Rather more interestingly the law in these two jurisdictions has reached the current position in slightly different ways. This history can be traced through English Equity, the works of the Scottish Institutional writers, the rise of the Will Theory, and all leavened with a dose of judicial pragmatism.

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