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The Role of Internal Third-Party Interveners in Civil Resistance Campaigns: The Case of Israeli-Jewish Anti-Occupation Activists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2019

Leonie Fleischmann Open the ORCID record for Leonie Fleischmann [Opens in a new window]
Leonie Fleischmann*
Affiliation:
Department of International Politics, City, University of London, London, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

When a non-violent resistance campaign does not have leverage to challenge powerful opponents, third-party intervention has been shown to assist. While the role of external third-party interveners – foreign activists – has been documented, less attention has been given to intervention from members of the dominant population. Drawing from the literature on civil resistance and through the study of Israeli Jews who intervene in Palestinian resistance campaigns against the Israeli military occupation, I argue that intervention from members of the dominant population is strategically desirable. Through an analysis of three Palestinian campaigns, this article identifies that the physical presence of Israeli Jews was needed to ensure the Palestinians could maintain their resistance efforts and presence on the land, despite the repression they faced. Furthermore, the skills and knowledge of the Israelis were needed to help the Palestinians achieve some of their goals, at least in the short term.

Keywords

civil resistancenon-violent resistancethird-party interventionPalestineIsrael
Type
Article
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 56 , Issue 1 , January 2021 , pp. 184 - 200
Copyright
Copyright © The Author 2019. Published by Government and Opposition Limited and Cambridge University Press

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