Justification of Intergroup Violence: An Exploratory Study within the Israeli-Arab Society

Abstract

The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the level of justification of intergroup violence from the perspective of Israeli Arab minority group (n=196). The study analyzed the link between threat perception and justification of intergroup violence in Israel, which presents a suitable setting due to ongoing conflict between Arabs and Jews. Results indicate that symbolic threat is more salient among Israeli Arab participants compared to realistic threat. The study also found that females tended to perceive violence committed by Arabs against Israeli Jews as more justified than males suggesting that women are more prone to frustration due to intersectionality, leading to violence. In addition, a strong correlation between a person's support of the idea that frustration led to intergroup violence and their justification of such violence was found, supporting some of the frustration-aggression hypothesis. Results emphasize the need to emphasize understanding intergroup conflicts in international relations.