The Shift from War to Peace: Reconciliation of Sub-Identities and Overcoming Psychological Barriers in Israel

Abstract

The pivotal argument of this paper is that states and political establishments develop two types of identities: self-identity and sub-identity. Mutually corresponding sub-identities are the medium through which states interact. The first part of the paper argues that each state allocates a unique sub-identity to every other individual state or political establishment with whom it engages in a relationship. Particularly, a shift from war to peace requires states to reconcile their respective sub-identities towards their enemies. However, reconciliation is not a straightforward transition from an antagonistic mood to a pacifist environment. It is only possible if psychological barriers are overcome. The second part of this paper is devoted to a diagnosis of the psychological barriers that have prevented Israel from successfully reconciling its sub-identity with the Palestinian establishment.