Inter-Group Contact and Collective Action in Mixed Israeli Neighborhoods

• In Event: Intergroup Contact and Conflict

Abstract

The physical separation of ethnic groups has often been discussed as a solution to ethnic conflicts. Ethnic conflicts are known to harden ethnic identities, which may make cross-ethnic appeals unlikely to succeed (Kaufmann 1996) and partition the only available solution (Sambanis 2000). The current Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often suggested as an example of this dynamic. Today, the vast majority of Palestinians live separated from Israelis, walled off in the Occupied Territories, under siege in Gaza, or exiled abroad. Israeli government reports (Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2004) and academic research (Bhavnani et al. 2014) suggest that this forceful physical separation dampens violence, and that reduced inter-group contact and increased local segregation are therefore desirable (Bhavnani et al. 2014).

These arguments overlook an important minority of Palestinians who live in Israel. While the majority of these Palestinians live in separate cities, a minority resides in mixed neighborhoods, where inter-group contact is possible. We conduct a survey of Jewish (n = 315) and Palestinian (n = 287) residents of these neighborhoods, located in seven Israeli towns. Contradicting expectations from partition theory, our findings show that even in the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict, inter-group contact may facilitate inter-group relations, as well as peacebuilding through nonviolent collective action. These findings complement existing studies on inter-group contact theory (Al Ramiah and Hewstone 2013), which have rarely included settings of ongoing ethnic conflict with hardened identities.

Our survey shows that frequent inter-group contact is happening among the respondents, and that this contact is mostly perceived as positive, in spite of existing hardened ethnic identities. This finding is in line with the successful conduct of contact programs bringing together Jewish and Palestinian Israelis, including more than one sixth of the Israeli population to date (Maoz 2011). However, Palestinian Israelis report significantly higher levels of in-group identification, perceived discrimination, anger, and physical threat than Jewish respondents. This finding reflects the unequal power distribution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and identifies important challenges to inter-group contact in asymmetric conflicts.

Our findings show that hardened ethnic identities in an intractable conflict may translate into positive daily interactions as opposed to violence. Our survey furthermore shows that Palestinians are significantly more willing than Jews to resort to peaceful forms of collective action on behalf of their in-group, namely Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and Gaza. This suggests that peaceful collective action may constitute an important channel to express ongoing grievances in conflict settings where daily contact remains possible.

Sambanis, N. (2000). Partition as a solution to ethnic war: An empirical critique of the theoretical literature. World Politics, 52(4), 437-483.

Kaufmann, C. (1996). Possible and impossible solutions to ethnic civil wars. International Security, 20(4), 136-175.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2004. “Saving Lives: Israel’s Anti-Terrorist Fence.” https://mfa.gov.il/MFA_Graphics/MFA%20Gallery/Documents/savinglives.pdf

Bhavnani, R., Donnay, K., Miodownik, D., Mor, M., & Helbing, D. (2014). Group segregation and urban violence. American Journal of Political Science, 58(1), 226-245.

Maoz, I. (2011). Does contact work in protracted asymmetrical conflict? Appraising 20 years of reconciliation-aimed encounters between Israeli Jews and Palestinians. Journal of Peace Research, 48(1), 115-125.

Al Ramiah, A., & Hewstone, M. (2013). Intergroup contact as a tool for reducing, resolving, and preventing intergroup conflict: Evidence, limitations, and potential. American Psychologist, 68(7), 527-42.

Authors

• Stephanie Dornschneider, University College Dublin

• Miles Hewstone, Oxford University

• Oliver Christ

• Sarina J. Schäfer

• Ifat Maoz, University of Pennsylvania

• Samer Halabi, The Acedemic College of Tel Aviv Yaffo

• Danit Sobol-Sarag, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya