Mowing the Lawn
Lethal Metaphors in Israeli National Security Culture Pre-7 October
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6197348 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nadim N Rouhana (Tufts University, corresponding author), Nadim Rouhana (Tufts University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 1-22 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-22 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Genocide Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1462-3528 • E-ISSN: 1469-9494 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14623528.2025.2506162 |
| OpenAlex | W4410617423 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
This paper examines the metaphor of “Mowing the Lawn” or “Mowing the Grass” that emerged in Israeli political culture around the turn of the century after the Israeli political class developed the conviction that “there is no partner for peace” among the Palestinians. Israel espoused a particular modality of violence against Palestinians, which gradually became a military-political strategy defined as regularly targeting Palestinian leadership, facilities, and infrastructure to control their growth like a lawnmower controls grass growth. I examine the historical, political, cultural, and military rationale for the emergence of this metaphor, and the construction of the self and the other that is embedded in it. I explain how the strategy that this metaphor encapsulates reflects Israel’s, and, indeed, mainstream Zionism’s apprehensive irreconcilability with the idea of Palestinian national existence in Palestine. I illustrate how the emergence of the metaphor is prescribed by this irreconcilability, manifesting within the contemporary context of Israel’s confrontation with Palestinians in general, and Palestinians in Gaza in particular – well before 7 October 2023
Biology · Computer security · Criminology · Forensic engineering · Injury prevention · Lawn · Medical emergency · Occupational safety and health · Pathology · Poison control · Suicide prevention · Computer Science · Engineering · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Medicine · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence · Ecology
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |