The resurrection of Palestinian identity in divided societies of the Middle East: The cases of Jordan and Israel

Abstract

The recent theoretical debates on the politics of identity help to depict why different foreign policy behavior occurs in the divided societies of the Middle East. For instance, the degree varied from one country to another, but states in the region urged the necessity to incorporate supra-state loyalties, either Arabism or Zionism, as an integral element of their identity formation. Viewed from the approach that the international system and/or regional systems serve as catalysts in shaping and re-building the role of the politics of identity in invoking states' preferences and behaviors, Jordan and Israel can be seen as the very epitomes of these debates within the framework of the Middle East realm. Given the permeable identity boundaries of the Middle East societies, it is vital to scrutinize the ramifications of different politics of identities in divided societies of the region. Among others, the Palestinian identity is one of the most salient identities in the Middle East. Since Palestinians and Palestinian-ness reveal the debates on the interplay of multifaceted identities in the region, Jordan and Israel are the very epitomes of determining the role and effects of resurgence of Palestinian-ness in making or unmaking identity politics.