Since 2015 several outstanding doctoral and postdoctoral students receive the Hans Guth Dreyfus fellowship. The fellowship supports research on psychological sociological and political aspects of conflict management and resolution
A doctoral fellow at the Swiss Center for Conflict Research, Management and Resolution.
Over the last few years, the Hebrew University has become a unique space in Jerusalem, wherein – often for the first time – students from the various Jewish sectors meet with students of the Arab and Palestinian societies, especially those from East Jerusalem. Much has been written about the tense relationships characterizing the encounters of these groups. These studies suggest that multicultural contact is often limited by informal practices of separation and avoidance of contact (McKeown & Dixon, 2017). The fears and tensions between heterogeneous groups in conflict serve as a fertile ground for the development of prejudices (Stephan & Stephan, 1996). However, multicultural social ties developing in the academic sphere may be an important tool in advancing a discourse of reconciliation (Yanay & Lifshitz-Oron, 2008). In my doctoral dissertation, I shall examine how to advance the potential of the academic sphere to challenge social and political processes and create a social fabric advancing peace. In particular, I shall examine how the relationships developing between Israeli-Jews and Palestinian students may accompany them after they have graduated by consolidating a mode of action and agency within Israeli society.
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The Scholarship Recipients 2021-2022
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Nitzan Faibish
Supervisor: Prof. Dan Miodownik
Spontaneous Interactions between Individuals from Conflicted Groups in Shared Spaces within Polarized Cities
This research suggestion addresses a main puzzle in the research of relationships between groups, and specifically the relationship between groups in a political-ethnic conflict: why, in some cases, interaction between individuals from different groups reduces the mutual sense of threat, while, in other cases, it increases the animosity and conflict. Even though the patterns of interaction between individuals from groups in a political-ethnic conflict within polarized cities get the attention of researchers from various disciplines for a few decades now, this question still remains an unsolved puzzle. This research intends to use a combination of methodologies, a natural experiment, alongside self-reporting and depth interviews, in order to put this question to the test. Also, and no less important, in order to offer conclusions about ways to reduce the mutual sense of threat and social distancing between groups in Israel as a whole, and in Jerusalem specifically. The a-symmetrical conflict between the two ethno-national groups in Jerusalem - Jewish and Palestinians - is firstly reflected through the civil status of the latter (permanent residents and not citizens), and through discrimination both budgetary and in access to municipal resources (Jamal, 2019). Secondly, the matter is reflected through an on-going segregation between the groups, which is expressed in separate neighborhoods (Rokem & Vaughan, 2018), different educational frameworks (Gavison, 2006), and often different professions (Shtern, 2010) for members of both communities. Still, there are shared municipalgeographic spaces in Jerusalem where interaction occurs between the different ethnic groups. Such spaces are - public transportation (especially in the western city and the light rail axis), the retail chains and the markets, recreation complexes in the city, the public parks (in the western city), hospitals and institutions of higher education (Hasson, 2018; 2019). Nitzan Faibish – Abstract Political Science Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2 Yet, despite the frequency of this spontaneous interaction, a review of the academic literature shows that most studies dealing with relationships between conflicted groups - including in the Israeli-Palestinian case - rely on initiated-mediated meetings with a preset agenda. Such as in cases of bilingual education, peace programs, dialog groups, etc. - which occur in what can be defined as “artificial” conditions (Dixon et al, 2005; 2013), and often include a host/guide whose role is to regulate the interaction between the two groups in the meeting. (see for example: Abu-Nimer, 1999; 2004; Bar-On, 2006; 2008; Kassem, 2004; Bekerman, 2002; 2007; 2009; Yablon, 2009; Maoz, 2000a; 2000b; 2004; 2006; 2010; 2011). As a result, and even though this kind of spontaneous and informal interaction between the different groups - also (and probably especially) in Jerusalem- is the most common, we lack the understanding of its influence on the perceptions of individuals in regards to the “other” groups. The research proposed below suggests inspecting how spontaneous interactions in shared spaces in Jerusalem influence the perceptions of individuals in regards to the “other” groups in the surrounding area. Scientifically, the donation of the research is theoretical, methodological and empirical. The research will be theoretically innovative firstly in inspecting the influence of a spontaneous interaction. One, which is not initiated and/or mediated by a third party - on the opinions of individuals from different ethnic groups, which are politicallyethnically conflicted - regarding the “other” group. Secondly, while many studies dealing with separation between conflicted groups focus on the separation in the living environment (Rokem & Vaughan, 2018), this research will be innovative in its inspection of the blending of the different groups in shared spaces. Methodologically, this research asks to join the ever-growing net of studies relying on experiments in the ‘real world’ (for example: Halualani et al, 2004; Van Laar et al., 2005; Sacerdote, 2001;Shook & Fazio, 2008; Enos, 2014; Scacco & Warren, 2018), and therefore allowing an inspection with higher validity. Empirically, the research will provide a clearer understanding of the case study – Jerusalem - and through that, it will suggest conclusions regarding the patterns of interaction between the different ethnic groups in the city.
Ibrahim Hazboun
Supervisor: Prof. Hillel Cohen
The dynamics and experiences of living in a conflict-torn area of East Jerusalem during the
COVID-19 pandemic
Palestinian-Jerusalemites face the battle against the spread of the Corona virus in a complex
geopolitical situation, including deteriorated living conditions, instability, deep poverty, difficult mobility and fragile health system especially in neighborhoods that were excluded and separated by the Israeli built wall. Tens of thousands of Palestinians live in East Jerusalem neighborhoods are left alone to deal with the effects of the virus. The researcher will conduct semi-structured in-depth interviews with Palestinian activists and medical staff from East Jerusalem to understandthe dynamics and experiences of living as a marginalized community when restricted by the conditions, pressures, and limitations of asymmetrical conflict.The importance of the analysis is to further investigate the way marginalized communities living under the impact of conflict behave during an external and life-threatening crisis as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Proposal:
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a tremendous toll on the public health and the
economy of many states around the world. As it spreads beyond the higher-income and stable countries into developing or fragile states. Its consequences are likely to be even more profound in conflict-affected areas, where pandemic responses will struggle with fragmented authority, violence, marginalization of weak communities living in a longtime conflict areas. Vulnerable populations living in countries with weak health systems are at high risk of being hit the hardest. In conflict-torn countries, the humanitarian settings, health and socioeconomic systems are already fragmented and overstretched to counter an outbreak (AlKhaldi, Kaloti, Shella, Al Basuoni & Meghari, 2020; Asseburg, Azizi, Dalay & Pieper, 2020; Hopman, 2020). As in previous research, marginalized communities’ attempts to break their isolation despite the power imbalance in asymmetrical conflict. The Israeli Palestinian conflict is an example of a conflict that Palestinians attempts to overcome the limitation of the power
imbalance (Hazboun, Maoz & Blondheim, 2019; Hazboun & Maoz, 2018). Palestinian- Jerusalemites face the battle against the spread of virus in a complex geopolitical situation,
including deteriorated living conditions, instability, deep poverty, and difficult mobility and
fragile health system especially in neighborhoods that were excluded and left behind the Israeli built wall. The East Jerusalem neighborhoods behind the wall is like no man land. It is controlled by Israel but the state have not enforce the instructions of the health ministry during the pandemic crisis (Alkalhadi et al.,2020). Palestinians of East Jerusalem pay tax and health insurance to Israel. Their residency status entitles them to state health services and to national insurance, although government accountability reports have found that a complex and opaque system sometimes blocks them from actually accessing state benefits (Cohen, 2013; Jubeh, 2015; Yacobi, 2015). In March 2020, with the start of the pandemic, the Israeli health ministry did not provide services to residents in East Jerusalem including instructions about the coronavirus in Arabic and a hotel to host the people returning from abroad. Even attempts by the Palestinian Authority to open testing centers for suspects’ cases were closed by Israeli police (Alkalhadi et al.,2020). Activists and volunteers from the Palestinian neighborhoods started their own initiative, through efforts on social media and among people in the neighborhoods. The activists succeeded to transfer a hotel in East Jerusalem into an isolation center. One of East Jerusalem’s activist, interviewed by the researcher for this proposal, describes the efforts done by individuals as “a survival mission” for Palestinians in the city that saved residents in East Jerusalem from an early major spread of the pandemic. With the chart of the cases going down in May 2020, the activists ended their mission successfully by only about 150 cases had been reported in East Jerusalem.
In July 2020, another wave of coronavirus started to spread all over Israel including the
city of Jerusalem. This time with more complicated geopolitical impacts of the conflict on the
lives of the people in East Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority declared a full cessation of
coordination with Israel due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plan to annex parts of the West Bank to Israel as part of the Trump administration plan known as " The Deal of the
Century". The end of all security and civil coordination activities have added to the already
complex life of East Jerusalem, especially to Palestinians leaving in the neighborhoods behind
the separation wall. Ending the civil coordination effected the process of transferring patients
from the Palestinian areas to Israeli hospitals in Jerusalem. With the number of cases rising up in
East Jerusalem, the three Israeli medical insurance organizations known as _KopatKhoalim_
created a special unit called: "Corona Unit East Jerusalem”. One of the medical doctors in the
unit, interviewed by the researcher for this proposal, expresses his satisfaction from the increase in the number of testes in East Jerusalem but he said that these are not enough dealing with an overrated populated neighborhoods. “It took Israeli authorities two months to open one hotel in East Jerusalem to host hundreds of positive cases for a population of tens of thousands, while there are many hotels for Jews in West Jerusalem.” The medical doctor also expresses a deep sorrow by failing to get the Palestinian Authority or Israeli ambulances to evacuate infected people from East Jerusalem neighborhoods behind the separation wall to hospitals in Jerusalem. He explains that the conflict consequences are putting “the lives of thousands of people in these neglected neighborhoods in danger”. This paper will conduct semi-structured in-depth interviews with Palestinian activists and medical staff from East Jerusalem to understanding the dynamics and experiences of living as a marginalized community when restricted by the conditions, pressures, and limitations of asymmetrical conflict. The importance of the analysis is to further investigate the way marginalized communities living under the impact of conflict behave during an external life threatening
crisis as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Scholarship Recipients 2020-2021
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Anat Ruhrman
PhD candidate, Hebrew University, Leiden University.
Advisors:
Prof. Eran Halperin, Hebrew University.
Dr. Ruthie Pliskin, Leiden University.
Prof. Dr. Jojanneke van der Toorn, Leiden University, Utrecht University
Does Conflict Make People Less Empathetic?
The Impact of Repeated Exposure to Conflict-Related Violence on empathy
Despite extensive efforts to promote peace, violent intergroup conflicts continue to abound internationally, inflicting tremendous harm and exerting human, psychological, and material costs on individuals and societies involved in them. Individuals living in such conflicts are frequently exposed to conflict-related violence. Many consequences of this exposure have been studied, ranging from mental health implications1,2 to change in intergroup attitudes, emotions, and behavior3,4, but a central aspect that may be essential for breaking cycles of violence has yet to be systematically explored: its impact on empathy. Empathy—“an other-oriented emotional response elicited by and congruent with the perceived welfare of someone else"5 (p. 8)—is a highly- important affective processes in interpersonal and intergroup relations. Intergroup empathy, specifically, has highly constructive implications, but it is notoriously elusive. Due to its potential positive outcomes and its fragility and illusiveness, there is a great value in understanding how and when empathy is conceived, what inhibits it, and what its antecedent are in the midst of violent conflict.
Accordingly, this project aims to focus on the long-term effects of repeated exposure to conflict-related violence on empathy. By combining a longitudinal large-scale design with small scale studies among targeted populations that have been exposed to violence, I aim to explore: 1. to what extent exposure to conflict-related violence increases or decreases individuals’ empathy; and 2. towards which targets (i.e., adversary group members, members of outgroups within the national ingroup, ingroup members) such exposure increases or decreases empathy. To answer these questions, I will explore through which mechanisms (i.e., mediators) such influences occurs, among whom and under what circumstances (i.e., moderators).
In this project, I aim to investigate these questions within the ongoing, highly violent Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ambitious design, comprised of a longitudinal study and five complementary studies, will allow me to track changes in empathy towards different targets over time and in the wake of real-world violent events, reveal its association with exposure to conflict-related events, and indicate the relevant mechanisms involved in its (lack of) emergence. Accordingly, the project’s fruits will illuminate the processes through which long-term conflicts create less (or sometimes more) empathetic societies—outwards as well as inwards. Such an understanding has far-reaching implications not only for the theoretical understanding of intractable conflicts and intergroup empathy, but also for more applied attempts to increase empathy and promote more equal, tolerant and respectful relations among different groups in society.
Bibliography
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Laufer, A., & Solomon, Z. (2006). Posttraumatic symptoms and posttraumatic growth among Israeli youth exposed to terror incidents. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 25(4), 429-447.
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Hobfoll, S. E., Mancini, A. D., Hall, B. J., Canetti, D., & Bonanno, G. A. (2011). The limits of resilience: Distress following chronic political violence among Palestinians. Social Science & Medicine, 72(8), 1400-1408.
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Canetti-Nisim, D., Halperin, E., Sharvit, K., & Hobfoll, S. E. (2009). A new stress-based model of political extremism: Personal exposure to terrorism, psychological distress, and exclusionist political attitudes. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 53(3), 363-389.
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Schmid, K., & Muldoon, O. T. (2015). Perceived threat, social identification, and psychological well‐being: The effects of political conflict exposure. Political Psychology, 36(1), 75-92.
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Batson, C. D. (2009). These things called empathy: eight related but distinct phenomena. In J. Decety & W. Ickes (Eds.), Social neuroscience. The social neuroscience of empathy (pp. 3-15). Cambridge, MA, US: MIT Press.
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Renana Atia
Ph.D. student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Department of Communication and Journalism.
Advisor: Meital Balmas, Ph.D. Senior Lecturer (US Associate Professor) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Department of Communication and Journalism. Chair of the Political Communication graduate program.
SUBTYPING AS A MECHANISM FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Literature on the subject of prejudice indicates that once an individual has been categorized as belonging to a certain group, she is expected to possess the traits and characteristics that were attributed to the group (Myers, 2010). In some cases, when perceiving a trait disconfirming of the group stereotype, disconfirming members (Park, Wolsko & Judd, 2001; Vasiljevic & Crisp, 2013), are often considered anomalies, ones that does not and cannot represent the group in any way, thus maintaining the integrity of the stereotype (Kunda & Oleson, 1997; Weber & Crocker, 1983). This process, named subtyping, received little attention, especially when considered alongside communication research. My proposed research can make a significant contribution to conflict resolution by identifying mechanisms through which negative intergroup stereotypes in conflict can be reduced.
However, the potential of disconfirming individuals to be agents of stereotype change remains, with the addition of the following questions: under which circumstances can a disconfirming individual affect an observer's stereotypic image? what does he or she are required to obtain and project to enable such moderation of a stereotype, and for what kinds of predisposed observers would certain characteristics appeal?
To answer these questions, three main trajectories are suggested; monitoring perceived idealism of the disconfirmation; tracking uncertainty of identity; and controlling the group status of both the disconfirming individual and that of the outgroup observer. Combining the presented framework on prejudice and stereotype reduction with traditional media and new media platforms would also be at the core of this research.
Deconstructing media representation of social groups and mapping stereotypes may help in understanding subtyping. Additionally, the suggested research may provide important insight into member-to-group generalization and could offer another opportunity to decrease stereotypical thinking and out-group bias, which is especially essential in conflict areas.
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Lior Kraus
PhD student at the Department of Communication and Journalism, the Hebrew University.
Advisor: Prof. Raya Morag
An Associate Professor of cinema studies at the Department of Communication and Journalism, the Hebrew University.
Representations of Sisterhood in Israeli and Palestinian Cinema (1980-2020)
Research Proposal - Dreyfus Scholarship
At the heart of the proposed research is the relationship between Sisterhood (sisterhood, women's fraternity), theoretical feminist perceptions, and political power systems related to conflict resolution, as represented in Israeli and Palestinian cinema for the past 40 years. Examining the representations of sisterhood in the cinematic space will allow the status of women in both societies, Israeli and Palestinian, to be analyzed by raising a new discussion of the relevant moral, social and political questions, as the discussion of sisterhood (rather than brotherhood) will provide a subversive perspective on the hegemonic-militaristic discourse in Israeli society.
Sisterhood representations will be examined as a complex feminist-political view that strives for gender equality but is also abundant with tensions due to the inherent disparity in asymmetrical conflict between the gender and class aspects of the ethnic one. Examining the relationship between these elements as relationships that grow from struggle, from inter-ethnic clash and dual oppression (patriarchal and ethnic) and from an option to cross those boundaries and to establish a cross-border relationship between women on both sides of the conflict and to examine the way cinema presents the opportunities holds on the level of conflict consequences and peace options on women in both societies.
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The Scholarship Recipients 2019-2020
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Olga Pasitselska
A doctoral student in the Department of Communication and Journalism, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Reception of ideological narratives in Russian-Ukrainian conflict: the role of identity
Supervisor: Dr. Christian Baden
In a situation of violent political conflict, the normal functioning of media systems may be distorted by ‘polyphonic propaganda machines’ that construct conflicting narratives, attempting to delegitimize discordant opinions. However, individuals are not simply following one of the narratives, but often try to build a coherent perspective out of this ‘informational noise’. Understanding how individuals make sense of the political ‘world outside’, facing mutually exclusive frames and perspectives, is critical to comprehending the process of public opinion formation that can lead either to conflict escalation or its resolution. Scholars attempted to explain the phenomenon of narrative appropriation through the relatively linear processes of media agenda setting or framing, or by more or less compliant decodings, responding to individual predispositions. My research attempts to achieve a more holistic vision of the narrative appropriation process in the contested media environment, with a special emphasis on the role of identity and community as mediators in appropriation of strategic media narratives.
In my study, I will investigate how the interplay of personal experiences and attitudes, socially shared perceptions and values, as well as the structure of the social group interact in shaping audiences’ reception of competing mediated narratives. In the increasingly polarized debate of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the two strategic narratives, promoted by different political actors and media are simultaneously available and salient to audiences in Ukraine, forcing them to position themselves relative to these competing views and thus choosing a side in the conflict. Engaging with the contrasting media interpretations of political events, I aim to reconstruct the processes by which audiences within contested Eastern Ukraine can situate themselves relative to the conflict. Combining approaches from narrative studies, social psychology and anthropology, my thesis will address the question how propagandistic media contents are reinterpreted and renegotiated by interactive, socially networked audiences.
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Yonatan Gonen
Interaction between journalists from two sides of a conflict
The topic of my doctoral dissertation is the interactions between journalists and media outlets from the two sides of a conflict (Advisors: Prof. Keren Tenenboim-Weinblatt and Prof. Zohar Kampf). The study investigates the unique pattern of collaboration among journalists across conflict lines and how this collaboration can contribute to conflict resolution efforts. Using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a case study, my research discusses how interactions between journalists can play a major role in bridging between the sides, deepening the debate on the roots of the conflict and improving the mutual understanding between different parties.
In-depth interviews with Israeli and Palestinian journalists reveal a complex relationship between journalists across conflict lines, in which interests and friendships and national and professional identities become blurred. I show how journalists use these interactions to manage restrictions, overcome censorship, obtain exclusive real- time information from the conflict zones, relay messages to people on the other side and develop a more comprehensive understanding of the conflict.
At the current stage of my research, quantitative and qualitative content analysis is being conducted to examine how, to what extent, and under which circumstances journalists and media outlets use information published by the media of the other side of the conflict. One of the central questions that I would like to explore is whether the weaker side of the conflict (the Palestinian media) cites information published by the media associated with the stronger side of the conflict (Israel) more than the other way around? Furthermore, I would like to explore how journalists from both sides of the conflict quote and frame this information. These are the themes that I will focus on this year.
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The Scholarship Recipients 2018-2019
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Mia Schreiber
A doctoral student at the Department of Communication, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Mediated intentions: journalist’s role in constructing processes of amity and reconciliation
Supervisor: Prof. Zohar Kampf
This research focuses on journalists’ role as mediators of political intentions, through the interpretation of political speech acts. Specifically, I examine the ways in which journalistic interpretation of political intentions is mediated in the context of reconciliation processes in the political arena. While the relationship between communication, language and political affairs is viewed in research literature mainly through the media’s role in conflicts, the possible links between media, language and the advancement of amity and friendship remains fairly unknown. Studies that did focus on ‘peace journalism’ did not relate to journalists’ role in mediating friendly intentions and their contribution to reconciliation efforts. Hence, in studying journalists’ practices of interpreting and mediating political intentions I aim to shed light on their social and political role in constructing a reality of reconciliation and friendship between leaders, states and peoples.
Journalists’ “intention work” will be examine through the mediation of solidarity and conciliatory speech acts in news reports on political relations between Israel and other countries. By identifying amicable speech acts described in news reports and analyzing the linguistic and stylistic strategies to mediate them, I will chart the boundaries of journalists’ “intention work”. The finding from the textual analysis will be complemented by in-depth interviews with journalists and commentators, examining their perceptions and methods for interpreting and mediating political intentions.
The potential contribution of this research is threefold: from the linguistic-pragmatic perspective, the study of the actual implications of speech acts on their addressees in the public and international arena can help to develop a deeper understanding of perlocutionary effects of speech acts, an aspect that is understudied in the literature. From the perspective of journalism studies, the examination of journalists’ stance towards their interpretive work can expand and deepen existing knowledge about the ways they construct social and political reality as mediators of intentions. Finally, from the conflict resolution perspective, studying processes of mediation of political speech acts that construct solidarity and amity can advance our understanding of the part played by the media in bringing about a change in the political sphere.
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Adi Sheffi
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Communication & Journalism, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Supervisor: Prof. Raya Morag
A New Paradigm: Post-Traumatic Motherhood and Current Israeli Documentary Cinema
My research proposes a new paradigm for analysis of Israeli documentary films made during the second Intifada - post-traumatic motherhood.
Based on the major feminist and multiculturalist theoretical writings on motherhood, culture and cinema (Chodorow, 1978; Ruddick, 1989; Kaplan, 1992; Enloe, 2000) I examine from a feminist perspective the representation of motherhood and motherliness in Israeli documentary films that describe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Focusing on the burning issues of the relationships between motherhood, motherliness and militarism, colonialism, and multiculturalism, the analysis of various maternal representations enables a discussion of the ways in which Israeli documentary cinema describes the repercussions of the Occupation and the Intifada on both Israeli and Palestinian societies.
Motherhood, presented in these films against the backdrop of the historical events that shaped the identity of the State of Israel, connects both directly and indirectly between the ongoing violent reality and what I regard as the maternal crisis that characterizes the post-traumatic subject position of both Israeli and Palestinian motherhood.
Cinema research, as well as the prevalent political and social discourses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reflects phallocentric paternalism that focuses on the ways the violence of both the Occupation and terror influence the public sphere. In contrast, the films discussed reveal the effects of violence not only on the front but also on the home front. Thus, they allow a discussion that takes place outside of the hegemonic discourse, structuring an ethical attitude toward the other, both on personal and national levels. Accordingly, issues that are excluded from the hegemonic cinematic and social discourse will stand at the center of the analysis.
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Rina Kedem
A Graduate student at the Department of Geography, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Supervisor: Prof. Eran Feitelson
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The Scholarship Recipients 2017-2018
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Yaakov Buskila
Doctoral student at the Department of Political Sciences, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Public Diplomacy in Comparative Perspective: Three models of message management strategies in liberal democracies, illiberal democracies and authoritarian regimes
Advisors: Prof. Tamir Sheafer & Prof. Shaul Shenhav
Abstract:
Over the past few decades, public diplomacy (PD) has developed into a central mechanism for shaping the public opinion and mindset of foreign audiences. A number of studies have investigated how PD operates and the degree of its efficacy. While many of these investigations indicated a significant relationship between PD policies and regime types, so far there has not been an international comprehensive study from a comparative perspective that explores this association.
The central assumption of present research is that PD is pursued differently depending on regime type, and that such differentiation is tied to cultural variance across different states and regimes. This research will explore this hypothesis by focusing on one of the key elements of PD: information activities. Specific goals of this study include identifying different tactics and strategies employed by each state when determining the content of its messaging, how these messages are relayed and expressed, and how the state determines the target audiences to which these messages are addressed.
This research will provide an original contribution to the study of PD on a number of levels: 1) This study examines, for the first time, whether there is a connection between regime types and the nature of public diplomacy and the methods used in pursuing it. 2) As opposed to most studies concerning PD that have focused on the results of that diplomacy, the analysis in this study will concentrate on the role played by government in pursuing PD. 3) This research may have an important potential contribution on the practical-applied level. In times of crisis and conflicts between countries in which the various messages, their character and formulation, have a tremendous influence on the modes of operation, development and continuation of the conflict this new knowledge could spell the difference between continued conflict or its peaceful resolution.
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Yael Elster
Doctoral Student at the Department of Economics, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
An Examination of the Economic and Political Effects of the Rocket Threat Facing Israel
Supervisor: Prof. Asaf Zussman
Abstract:
Since the turn of the millennium, rocket attacks have become a significant threat to Israel's security. Terror organizations operating in Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Gaza (Hamas) fired thousands of rockets deep into Israeli territory during the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and during three operations of Israel in Gaza in 2008, 2012 and 2014. Meanwhile, there is very little rigorous research about the economic and political implications of the terrorist rocket threat. My research tries to fill this gap.
The first part of the research examines the housing market effects of the Second Lebanon War and the continued threat posed by Hezbollah’s growing rocket arsenal. The second part uses housing market data to evaluate the effectiveness of the Israeli Iron Dome anti-rocket system. The third part examines the political effects of the rocket threat posed by the terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip.
Several features of the context I study facilitate a particularly credible identification of causal effects – the exogenous nature of the shock and its magnitude, the spatial and temporal variation in treatment intensity, and the quality of the micro-level data. By offering these advantages, I believe that the study makes a significant contribution to conflict research.
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The Scholarship Recipients 2016-2017
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Rotem Nagar
A doctoral student at the Department of Communication and at the Swiss Center, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The Struggle for Recognition: The Role of Demands for Recognition in Asymmetric Conflicts
Supervisor: Prof. Ifat Maoz
Research abstract: Recognition is increasingly being seen as a vital condition for resolving conflicts, as well as for normalizing processes and achieving a modus vivendi. Yet, only few studies have attempted to empirically examine what recognition actually means for those who are involved in asymmetric protracted conflicts. The goal of my research is to examine psychological and ideological factors that underlie public opinion (un)willingness to recognize the other side in situations of conflict, in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Considering that recognition is crucial for resolving asymmetric conflicts, understanding the conditions that make the recognition of the rights and needs of out-groups possible might be essential in paving the way to settling conflicts and disputes.
Rotem Nagar has graduated with honor from The Swiss Center for Conflict Research and from The Department of Sociology at the Hebrew University in 2011. Today she is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Communication and at the Swiss Center for Conflict Research (supervisor: Professor Ifat Maoz). Her research interests are psychological, ideological and media-related aspects of conflict resolution and conflict transformation, including aspects that underlie the (un-)willingness to recognize the other side in conflicts.
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Dr. Amit Sheniak
post-doctoral fellow at the Swiss Center for Conflict Research and a research fellow at the STS center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
The legitimization process of state involvement in Cyber-conflict
Research Abstract: Cyber-conflicts are a current version of human conflicts, and are evident in both the domestic and the international arenas. In my research I aim to explore and describe the actions taken by states in order to legitimize the use of force employed by them in and through cyberspace. Those actions contribute to the establishment of a new evolving international norm - the right of states to project power over civilian through and in cyberspace and to get involved in cyber-conflicts in order to regulate, contain and settle them. The research methodology is based upon the study of formal statements and quotes and recorded evidence of states' “Soft-Power” actions.
The research has the potential to contribute to the understanding of cyber conflict in general and state’s ability to resolve them in particular, a field of study that was not yet properly researched.
Amit Sheniak is a current/currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Swiss Center for Conflict Research and a research fellow at the center for Science Technology and Society in Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. He received his PhD (2015) in Political Science form the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, combined with a public professional career as a policy adviser and strategic planner in the Israeli ministry of defense (IDF J5) and the Israeli parliament (the Knesset). He also holds a BA in political science and international relations and MA in democratic studies (all from the Hebrew University).
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The Scholarship Recipients of 2015-2016
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Yair Fogel-Dror
Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science and Dreyfus scholarship doctoral fellow
Computational Analysis of Political Discourse Analysis:Challenges and Implications
Research Abstract: The purpose of my research is to explore and uncover patterns of political discourse in the context of a political conflict, utilizing new computational methods. My research focuses on qualifying the rival actors by discovering the sentiment of texts and studying characteristics associated with each actor as those appear in the text. The intensity of interactions between the rival actors in the media coverage, for example, makes it harder to correctly associate each description with the specific actor as both actors are mentioned. Also, as the sentiment of the text is highly sensitive to the values and perspective of the writer, sentiment analysis in the context of various values and perspectives becomes a real challenge. Therefore an alternative measure for qualifying is suggested. For example, a description of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would express different sentiment when written from Netanyahu's point of view compared to Obama’s. Last, media agencies are also part of the discourse and might form a pattern by themselves. They can make an original voice, follow some opinion leader or even act as a part of a synchronized "clique" of media agencies. My research explores and exploits those patterns, in order to build new methods for better understanding the discourse and media coverage of political conflicts. For this purpose I apply a natural language processing and machine learning approach, while adapting the methods to the specific attributes of the political discourse. The end result of this research would allow for a better qualifying of actors' characteristics as well as better understanding of the role different media agencies play while covering a political conflict.
Research progress report - 2016
In the past year my research, with the endorsement of the Dreyfus scholarship, has been focused on the development of two methods for computational analysis of political texts, with regards to three conflicts: the media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Israeli public diplomacy efforts with regards to the BDS movement, and the presidential election campaign in the United States. The first method involves automatic extraction of topics, using an inductive approach first, which later allows for deductive identification of those topics in real time. The different topics include issues which are relevant to the three mentioned conflicts, where the goal is to reach a high enough resolution of analysis in order to distinguish, automatically, between descriptions of the same events but from different perspectives. For example, the method can distinguish between the Israeli and the Hamas descriptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The second method involves a network analysis of relations between topics, according to the way they are presented in different media agencies. For example, I show how in some agencies the BDS movement is presented as related to Anti-Semitic discourse, while in others this relation is absent. The existence of this relation may indicate a successful public diplomacy campaign on the part of Israel, as stressing this association is Israel's formal policy with regards to the BDS.
The past year research is forming into an article with this (temporary) title: Rapid Coding of Large Corpora with Minimal Human Intervention
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Rana Es'eed
PhD candidate at the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare and Dreyfus scholarship doctoral fellow
The Islamic Movement in Israel as a Welfare Services Provider: A Case Study of the "Independent Community" Concept
Supervisor: Prof. John Gal and Prof. Ram Knaan
Research abstract: The Palestinians in Israel have experienced processes of discrimination and marginalization in multiple areas, one of the most important of which is welfare. Studies shows that state discrimination of ethnic groups in Israel have reinforced structural inequality (Rosenheck, 1996; Quandangno, 1994). Indeed, throughout its history, the Israeli welfare state has been characterized by severe segmentation, which has often excluded and marginalized the Palestinians citizens of the country (Rosenheck, 1995, 2007). In recent decades, the Islamic Movement has emerged as a crucial religious and political force among Palestinians in Israel. This movement has also been a key player in the field of third sector organizations, providing diverse social services to members of the Palestinian community. A fundamental principle in the movement’s activity is the concept of an "independent community". The leader of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Ra’ed Salah, conceived this concept in the early 2000s. It refers to the creation of a community, which administers its institutions independently, devoid of the pressures applied by the Israeli Establishment on Palestinians on both public and individual levels (Ali, 2007). Although the literature recognizes the key role played by the Islamic Movement in social services in Israel, there is still no study that explains how historical events, changes in the welfare system and the third sector, and internal developments within the movement led to the emergence of the "independent community" concept.
Few studies in this field attempt to explain the development of the movement according to different theories. In this light, the current study wishes to further the understanding of the development of the Islamic Movement and the aforementioned changes, in the context of the various theoretical approaches. In particular, the current study has two main aims: to examine and describe the development of the concept "The Independent Community" and its meaning for minority groups in general and for the Palestinians in Israel in particular. The second goal is to examine and describe the social services provided by the Islamic Movement, whether as part of the Independent Community project or as separate services. Such an examination is located in a complex theoretical space, due to the unique complexity of the Islamic movement, which can be described as a religious organization, a social movement, or a political organization or party.
Currently, I’m analyzing both the archival data (based on the Islamic movement newspaper since 1998 until 2015) and the 17 in depth interviews I have conducted with activist and leaders in the Islamic movement in Israel.
Research progress report - 2016
During the current academic year I had a significant progress in my research work. This year I focused on data collection: archival data and field work which includes interviews and observations. During this academic year I finished conducting the in-depth interviews and the observations and I am currently focusing on analysis of the data. In addition, I’m writing the first article as a part of the final dissertation. During the summer and the next academic year, I aim to focus on data analyzing and writing the final research report. I am planning to write the PhD as a chapters' dissertation, composed of independent three articles.
Thanks to Dreyfus scholarship, I had the opportunity to finish the data collection. During the forthcoming months, I will finish writing the first article, which will be based on the archival data and the interviews that have already been undertaken. I hope to finish my writing and submitting the PhD no later than by the end of 2017.
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