Description
This paper analyses international attempts to ‘shame’ Israel for the conduct of its war in Gaza and the Israeli government’s response to such criticism. Many see Israel as shameless, but officials who see nothing wrong with their government’s actions may still be concerned about the negative effect of public shaming on their international reputation. The case of Israel is examined to show how state actors may use what I call ‘inverse shaming’ in an attempt to shun and discredit international organisations or civil society actors who criticise them. Drawing on the literatures on ‘rhetorical coercion’ and ‘shaming’, I show how Israeli officials used a variety of tactics to vigorously counter damaging allegations of genocide and torture. The paper asks: which are the key audiences that Israel is seeking to influence? And what have the consequences of these efforts in enabling the Israeli government to continue its violent campaign in Gaza and the abuse of Palestinians in its prisons. A comparative perspective is also included by comparing Israel to previous cases – chiefly how Spain and UK responded to allegations of torture. Through this analysis, the paper seeks to demonstrate that struggles over shaming, legitimacy and credibility have important consequences for public debate, human rights and security practice.
