Routine Emergency: The Meaning of Life for Israelis Living Along the Gaza Border

Description

This book explores the meaning of life for Israelis from communities bordering the Gaza Strip, whose lives are bound to the intractable conflict between Israel and the Hamas regime. Based on a psychosocial qualitative study of narrative interviews, photographs, YouTube videos, and Facebook posts created by residents, the book presents the life stories of ordinary people, their perspectives of patriotism and Zionism, and their perceptions of the Gazan Palestinians. Routine Emergency captures these perspectives through analyses of residents’ interviews and photographs, the social media materials and poems fashioned from interviewees’ words. The results challenge simplistic notions of what it means to live in this warzone, offering a multi-layered analysis of life in this region, which alternates between being Heaven and Hell. Written in a reader-friendly format, Routine Emergency, offers new theoretical insights into societal beliefs connected to living in an intractable warzone on the personal, family, community and national levels. Preface Praise for Routine Emergency Contents List of Figures List of Tables Part I: Introduction to the Study, History of the Region, and Methodology 1: Otef Aza, the Israeli-Arab/Palestinian Conflict, and the War Relations with the Hamas Regime in the Gaza Strip A Brief Overview of the Otef Aza Region A Brief Overview of the Israeli-Arab/Palestinian Conflict Otef Aza-Gaza Relations over the Years References 2: Methodology Our Sample Data Collection The Interviews Photographs Transcription of the Interviews Postings from Facebook and YouTube Videos Data Analysis Analyses of the Interviews and Photographs Analyses of the Posts, Videos, and Op-eds Ethical Issues References Part II: Psycho-social Aspects of Living with the War and the Meaning of This Life for Otef Aza Residents 3: Psycho-social Aspects of Living with the War Trauma and Life in the Otef Psychological Effects of Living in an Ongoing Warzone Personal Factors That Increase/Decrease Potential of Experiencing CT or PTSD Trauma and Coping in Different Kinds of Otef Aza Communities Trauma Responses, Coping, and Geographical Location Resilience in the Otef Post-traumatic Growth (PTG) Among Otef Aza Residents Intractable Conflict and Societal Beliefs for Dealing with Such Conflict Bar-Tal’s Ethos of Conflict and Societal Beliefs Cognitive Dissonance References 4: Routine Emergency, Emergency Routine, and War Routine Emergency: “Ha, Ha, Ha—Eshkol Regional Council—To the Mamad! This Place Is Either Heaven or Hell—The Danger Scale Praxes of Dealing with Dangers and Fears Making Quick, Sharp Behavioral Changes—Turning the Switch On and Off Parenting—What Is This Situation Doing to My Children? Becoming a Refugee Chapter Summary 5: I Am My Others’ Keeper: Mutual Concern, Belonging, Volunteerism, and Creation in the Otef Community Solidarity in the Otef Volunteering and Commitment to Life in the Otef Volunteering: Helping Out in Many Ways Volunteering and Working: Even When Potentially Endangering Oneself Creation and Development in the Otef Chapter Summary Reference 6: The State of the Western Negev Versus the State of Israel “Please Shoot a Missile at Tel Aviv”: Frustration, Anger, and Disappointment with the Israeli Government Magia Lanu: We Deserve It (?) (!) “Two Worlds”: Feeling Abandoned by Jewish-Israelis from Other Parts of Israel The Absence of the Media: “No Injuries, No Damage (Not)” Chapter Summary 7: Life in the Otef: It’s Complicated, Conflictual, Paradoxical “Life Quickly Turns Upside Down: It Stresses Me/It Has Little Effect” Should I Stay or Should I Go? Heaven Versus Hell Working for Peace While Being Bombed and Burned Chapter Summary Chapter Epilogue References Part III: Patriotism, Zionism, and Interviewees’ Perceptions of Self and Gazan Other 8: Patriotism and Zionism: A Review of the Literature Patriotism Cosmopolitanism Patriotism in Israel Zionism Early (Non-mainstream) Streams of Zionism Labor/Socialist Zionism Revisionist Zionism Religious Zionism and National Religious Zionism Post-Zionism Chapter Summary References 9: Otef Aza Residents’ Understandings of Patriotism and Zionism Otef Aza-Style Patriotism: Our Conceptualizations Examples from the Interviews and Photographs Constructive Patriots Conventional Patriots Critical Patriots Fighting Patriots Religious Patriots Lapsed Patriots Zionism in the Otef: Our Conceptualizations Examples from the Interviews and Photographs Proud/Fighting Zionists Brit-Shalom-Style Zionists Post-Zionists Chapter Summary 10: Otef Aza Residents Talk About the Gazans Perspectives of the Gazans: From the Center and Left-Wing Perspectives of the Gazans: From the Right-Wing Chapter Summary Part IV: Summary and Conclusions—Implications for Living with Intractable Conflicts and Thoughts About the Future 11: Summary, Discussion, and Conclusions Loaded Words, Themes, and the Meaning of Life in an Intractable Conflict Our Four Themes in Relation to Prior Academic Knowledge Ethos of Conflict (EOC) in the Perceptions of Otef Aza Residents Conceptualizations of Patriotism and Zionism in the Otef Putting It All Together: The Meaning of Life in the Otef Aza Warzone The Israel-Gaza Conflict and Other Intractable Conflicts A Call to Decision-makers to Work for the Creation of a Sustainable Reality for Otef Aza Concluding Remarks References Epilogue Index