Description
This paper explores Israel’s security strategy during the 1987 Palestinian Intifada, highlighting the multidimensional challenges it posed to traditional security frameworks. Specifically, the Intifada introduced both physical and ontological threats, necessitating a shift beyond materialist approaches. This study delves into the role of identity concerns in shaping Israeli security policies, contrasting the differing responses of the Likud and Labour parties. Likud’s strategy prioritized physical security and territorial integrity, while Labour advocated for ontological security, favouring territorial compromises to uphold democratic values and promote peace.
The research focuses on five key themes: the role of territorial compromise, the dynamics of U.S.-Israel relations, election process, settlement issue and evolving conceptions of security. This thematic approach reveals how ideological divisions informed the policy responses to the Intifada, challenging the notion of Israel’s security policies as predetermined. By emphasizing the impact of identity politics, the study argues that addressing ontological insecurity was pivotal in Israel’s strategic pivot towards negotiations, ultimately laying the foundations for the Oslo Accords. These findings contribute to broader discussions on the interplay between security and identity, demonstrating the importance of ontological considerations in national policy formation.
