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Israel and the Challenge of the Young Palestinian Generation Z
Abstract
In my talk I will discuss the unique social and political characteristics of the young Palestinian “generation Z”, youth who were born between the mid-1990s and the end of the first decade of the 21st century. I will point out the changes in individual-collective identities, political perceptions and social practices among members of this generation and discuss the political challenge they present in both the Palestinian and Israeli spheres. My key argument is that many members of the young Palestinian generation maintain complex relations between individualism and collectivism, which is often not well-understood by outsiders, including Palestinians from older generations. On the one hand, these young Palestinians are experiencing a unique and nonlinear process of growing individualism, which reflect both domestic and global influences. On the other hand, their commitment to collective values and goals, whether social, national or religious, continues. However, unlike previous Palestinian generations these youth wish to determine by themselves to which communities and collective goals they will mobilize. This reflects their desire for alternatives to the traditional agents of collectivity, primarily the political organizations, but also to the traditional powerful standing of the family. I call this combination of growing individualism and collectivism of a new kind “collectivindualism”, which contribute to the understanding of various social and political behaviors of the young generation. Within the Palestinian sphere collectivindualistic approach directly impact, among other things, on the political alienation of the youth vis-a-vis the institutionalized organizations of Fatah\ Palestinian Authority and Hamas. The youth’s collectivindualism is also impacting the conflict with Israel in two key arenas. One is on the political/ security level where many “Lone-wolf” attackers of Israelis in recent years are characterized by collectivindualistic approach. The second arena is the Palestinian cyberspace in which diversified alternative collectives, in the form of online communities, play a key role in mediating Israel and Israelis image for the young Palestinian generation. Unlike previous generations, few young Palestinians have any acquaintance with Israelis other than soldiers and settlers. The study draws on a wealth of primary sources obtained from daily monitoring of discourse and dynamics in Palestinian cyberspace in 2015-2018, including approximately 100 social media pages from a wide range of online communities. The qualitative approach of the study is anchored in modern Middle Eastern history, combined with ideas and digital tools from Network Analysis.
Discipline
Sociology
Geographic Area
None
Sub Area
Arab-Israeli Conflict