The current article presents a new intervention model for intragroup dialogue. Twenty-four Jewish-Israeli undergraduate students underwent a yearlong process to learn about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, encountered Palestinian narratives, and reflected on the impact of the Palestinian other on their own identity as Jewish-Israelis. In this research we propose that such a process ameliorates identity threats posed by an intergroup conflict on collective identities, encouraging participants to adopt a more complex view of themselves, which validates both narratives of self and “other.” Research was conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate the intervention. Results showed that participants developed an increased capacity for acceptance of both Israeli and Palestinian collective narratives, and demonstrated a greater willingness toward reconciliation, manifested in more readiness to acknowledge responsibility and apologize for past transgressions. Discussion is dedicated to the added value of this model, specifically in relation to intergroup contact approaches to dialogue.

This study explores the psychological challenges to social movements in the face of structural and cultural violence, and the cognitive and behavioral practices that help overcome these obstacles. It presents 3 case studies of social movements that brought about political and social transformation in Israel in the past 15 years: the struggles against industrial pollution in the city of Ashkelon; for the rights of the LGBT movement in Jerusalem; and of young Jews and Palestinians working against institutional discrimination in the city of Lydda. The research utilized qualitative methods: participative observations and interviews. We followed each group for approximately 1 year and documented its main activities for social change, as well as internal meetings and decision-making processes. We also conducted follow-up interviews with some of the groups' leaders after their goals were accomplished. Public Significance StatementOur research revealed 3 main practices used by social movements to effectively address psychological challenges: a complex view of identities; commitment to a moral compass; and the initiation of small and symbolic acts. Using these practices, the social movements we followed challenged the violent ground rules of a conflict situation, and promoted deep cultural and structural transformation.

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The current research sheds new light on the power dynamics between a national majority and minority in the context of inter-group conflict, specifically Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel. Drawing on Giddens, it broadens the dualistic approach to power suggested by the literature to demonstrate how the manifestation of power depends on the interpretation actors give to their social positioning in different life contexts. Drawing on 32 in-depth interviews with undergraduate students on their daily experience of power, four themes emerge reflecting the co-creation and alteration of power dynamics through reflexivity and agency: insecure power, ambivalent power, subversive power and internal power. The results provide empirical support for the role of agency and subjectivity in the manifestation of social power. The discussion explores the various ways in which these themes come into play in the socio-political context of Israel.

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