Demonization in International Politics: A Barrier to Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Middle East Today)

This book investigates demonization in international politics, particularly in the Middle East. It argues that while demonization’s origins are religious, its continued presence is fundamentally political. Drawing upon examples from historical and modern conflicts, this work addresses two key questions: Why do leaders demonize enemies when waging war? And what are the lasting impacts on peacemaking? In providing answers to these inquiries, the author applies historical insight to twenty-first century conflict. Specific attention is given to Israel and Palestine as the author argues that war-time demonization in policy, media, and art is a psychological and relational barrier during peace talks. Acknowledgments 8 Contents 10 List of Abbreviations 12 List of Figures 14 List of Tables 16 CHAPTER 1: Introduction 17 1 Demonization Defined 18 2 Demonization in International Relations: A Constructivist Perspective 23 3 Waging War and Waging Peace 26 4 Demonization in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An Illustrative Example 29 5 Methodology and Sources 31 5.1 An Interdisciplinary Approach 31 5.2 The Anatomy Method 32 5.3 Empirical Research Methods 32 5.4 Primary Sources 36 6 Research Limitations 38 7 Outline 40 CHAPTER 2: Demonization in Historical Context 41 1 Satan and the Religious Origins of Demonization 42 2 Religious Demonization Campaigns 47 3 Demonization in Modern Politics 55 4 Conclusion 71 CHAPTER 3: Demonization in War and Peace 72 1 Waging War: The Politics of Demonization in Conflict 73 1.1 Unity Through Fear 73 1.2 Legitimacy Through Protection 75 1.3 Self-Righteousness and Moral Heroism 76 1.4 Political and Military Mobilization 77 2 Waging Peace: Can One Bargain with the Devil? 80 2.1 “Bargaining with the Devil”: Moral and Practical Dilemmas 80 2.2 Three Dimensions of “Demonization Deadlock” 88 3 Conclusion 92 CHAPTER 4: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An Introduction 93 1 The Origins of the Conflict 94 2 The Road to Resistance and the First Intifada 101 3 The Path to Peace: From Madrid to Camp David 103 4 A Violent Decade: From the Second Intifada to the Gaza Offensive 106 5 Bones of Contention, Historical Traumas, and Hate Narratives 111 6 Conclusion 114 CHAPTER 5: Documenting Demonization in the Israeli-­Palestinian Conflict 115 1 The Demonizers 116 2 The Demonized 125 3 The Context of Demonization 133 4 The Demonizing Message 138 5 Conclusion 148 CHAPTER 6: Demonization Deadlock in the Israeli-­Palestinian Conflict 150 1 Pre-OSLO: Nip in the Bud and Narratives of Deception 152 2 The OSLO Accord: “The Honeymoon Years” of “Shaking Hands with the Devil” 160 3 Post-OSLO: “No Partner for Peace” and the Failure at Camp David 168 4 Mutual Blame and the Breakdown of the Peace Process 177 5 Conclusion 192 CHAPTER 7: Conclusion 195 1 Key Insights from the Case of Israel-Palestine 197 2 Avenues for Future Research 201 Appendix A: The Statements 206 Statements of Palestinians Demonizing Israelis 206 Statements of Israelis Demonizing Palestinians 219 Appendix B: Overview of Tables Used in Data Analysis 230 Part 1: The Demonizing Narrators 230 Part 2: Israeli-Palestinian Targets 232 Part 3: Timing 234 Part 4: The Demonizing Message 236 Appendix C: List of Interviewees and Their Biography 240 Bibliography 242 I. Books/Articles 242 II. Select Online Sources (Newspaper Articles, Official Documents, Transcripts, Documentaries etc.) 260 III. Search Engines/Databases 271 IV. Figures 271 Index. 273 "Acknowledgments"--"Contents"--"List of Abbreviations" -- "List of Figures" -- "List of Tables" -- "CHAPTER 1: Introduction" -- "1 Demonization Defined" -- "2 Demonization in International Relations: A Constructivist Perspective" -- "3 Waging War and Waging Peace" -- "4 Demonization in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An Illustrative Example" -- "5 Methodology and Sources" -- "5.1 An Interdisciplinary Approach" -- "5.2 The Anatomy Method" -- "5.3 Empirical Research Methods" -- "5.4 Primary Sources" -- "6 Research Limitations" -- "7 Outline" -- "CHAPTER 2: Demonization in Historical Context" -- "1 Satan and the Religious Origins of Demonization" -- "2 Religious Demonization Campaigns" -- "3 Demonization in Modern Politics" -- "4 Conclusion" -- "CHAPTER 3: Demonization in War and Peace" -- "1 Waging War: The Politics of Demonization in Conflict" -- "1.1 Unity Through Fear" -- "1.2 Legitimacy Through Protection" -- "1.3 Self-Righteousness and Moral Heroism" -- "1.4 Political and Military Mobilization" -- "2 Waging Peace: Can One Bargain with the Devil?" -- "2.1 â#x80;#x9C;Bargaining with the Devilâ#x80;#x9D;: Moral and Practical Dilemmas" -- "2.2 Three Dimensions of â#x80;#x9C;Demonization Deadlockâ#x80;#x9D;" -- "3 Conclusion" -- "CHAPTER 4: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An Introduction" -- "1 The Origins of the Conflict" -- "2 The Road to Resistance and the First Intifada" -- "3 The Path to Peace: From Madrid to Camp David" -- "4 A Violent Decade: From the Second Intifada to the Gaza Offensive" -- "5 Bones of Contention, Historical Traumas, and Hate Narratives" -- "6 Conclusion" -- "CHAPTER 5: Documenting Demonization in the Israeli-ÂƯPalestinian Conflict" -- "1 The Demonizers" -- "2 The Demonized" -- "3 The Context of Demonization" -- "4 The Demonizing Message" -- "5 Conclusion." Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction....Pages 1-24 Demonization in Historical Context....Pages 25-55 Demonization in War and Peace....Pages 57-77 The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An Introduction....Pages 79-100 Documenting Demonization in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict....Pages 101-135 Demonization Deadlock in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict....Pages 137-181 Conclusion....Pages 183-193 Back Matter....Pages 195-271