If both opponents “extend hands in peace” — Why don’t they meet

Mythic metaphors and cultural codes in the Israeli peace discourse

Bibliographic Data

ID6084608
AuthorsDalia Gavriely-Nuri, Dalia Gavriely‐nuri (corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume9
Issue3
Pages449-468
Publication date2010-11-10
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Language and Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1569-2159 • E-ISSN: 1569-9862
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/jlp.9.3.06gav
OpenAlexW1989565792
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited32

This article offers a preliminary and partial mapping of some cultural misconceptions inherent in the Israeli peace discourse. It focuses on one of the central mythic metaphors belonging to this discourse: “We extend our hand in peace.” First articulated in “The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel” (1948). After more than six decades of endless repetition in speeches made by Israeli political leaders, the metaphor has become a fertile arena for learning about Israel’s cultural codes and cultural heritage relating to peace: While expressing the sincere will to make peace, use of the metaphor simultaneously demonstrates moral superiority, feelings of deprivation, latent threat, and recognition of its efficiency for creating a positive image abroad. A discursive analysis of the metaphor reveals four barriers to the effective continuation of a peace process: Images of the Arab opponent, Israel’s self-image, relationships between opponents in addition to the opponents’ readiness to achieve peace

Adversary · Aesthetics · Declaration · Epistemology · Feeling · Linguistics · Metaphor · Political science · Politics · Repetition (rhetorical device · Sociology · State (computer science · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Psychology · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Law · Philosophy · Social Psychology

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