Conspiracy narratives and Fear in Israel and Palestine – Emotions, Power, Politics

In recent years, scholars have increasingly studied the role played by conspiracy narratives in framing political discourse across the globe. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, however, the literature on the Middle East remains sparse and is often dominated by orientalist assumptions. Conspiracy narratives are closely associated with a paranoid political culture and are believed to fuel social paralysis, authoritarianism, and irrational hatred towards the United States and Israel. Furthermore, conspiracy narratives within Israel have received scant attention. Consequently, existing studies are limited, flawed, and fail to provide a comprehensive exploration of the role of conspiracy narratives in both Muslim and non-Muslim societies across the Middle East. This thesis aims to address this gap by examining conspiracy narratives within the Israeli-Palestinian context. Drawing on existing literature on conspiracy narratives and emotions in international relations, the thesis develops a theoretical framework positing a close link between conspiracy narratives and emotions. It argues that Israeli and Palestinian conspiracy narratives are rooted in pervasive feelings of anxiety, insecurity, and powerlessness, channelling these emotions into fears of specific enemies and their perceived plots. By comparing conspiracy narratives within both societies, the thesis sheds light on their political functions. In Israel, right-wing ruling groups utilize conspiracy narratives to reinforce their political hegemony, leveraging fears invoked by conspiracy narratives to justify oppressive settler-colonial policies towards Palestinians and to marginalize left-wing voices. In the Palestinian West Bank, political actors employ the fear of conspiracies as an authoritarian tool to consolidate their power, resisting calls for democracy and shifting blame onto opponents. Yet, at the same time, conspiracy narratives serve as a counter-hegemonic tool for Palestinians to explain their oppression and to challenge those responsible and complicit. This thesis contributes to a more nuanced understanding of conspiracy narratives in Israel and Palestine, highlighting their versatile role in political discourse beyond fostering paralysis and irrational hatred.