The Impacts of Lasting Occupation ─ Lessons from Israeli Society

Protracted occupation has become a rare phenomenon in the 21st century. One notable exception is Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which began over four decades ago after the Six-Day War in 1967. While many studies have examined the effects of occupation on the occupied society, which bears most of the burdens of occupation, this book directs its attention to the occupiers. The effects of occupation on the occupying society are not always easily observed, and are therefore difficult to study. Yet through their analysis, the authors of this volume show how occupation has detrimental effects on the occupiers. The effects of occupation do not stop in the occupied territories, but penetrate deeply into the fabric of the occupying society.

The Impacts of Lasting Occupation examines the effects that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories have had on Israeli society. The consequences of occupation are evident in all aspects of Israeli life, including its political, social, legal, economic, cultural, and psychological spheres. Occupation has shaped Israel's national identity as a whole, in addition to the day-to-day lives of Israeli citizens. Daniel Bar-Tal and Izhak Schnell have brought together a wide range of academic experts to show how occupation has led to the deterioration of democracy and moral codes, threatened personal security, and limited economic growth in Israel.

Daniel Bar-Tal is Branco Weiss Professor of Research in Child Development and Education in the School of Education at Tel Aviv University. His research in political and social psychology focuses on the socio-psychological foundations of intractable conflicts and peacemaking. Bar-Tal has published twenty books and over two hundred book chapters and articles that have appeared in major social and political psychology journals. He has served as President of the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP) and received various prizes for his work, including ISPP's Harold Lasswell Award, given for distinguished scientific contributions in the field of political psychology, and ISPP's Nevitt Sanford Award, recognizing the practical application of political psychological principles and the creation of knowledge used by practitioners to make a positive difference in the way in which politics is carried out.

Izhak Schnell is Professor in the Department of Geography and Human Environment at Tel Aviv University. His work focuses on understanding the transitions caused by Arab urbanization, as well as Arab industrial entrepreneurship. Schnell's current research analyzes the structure of social space in a globalized world. He developed novel models to understand socio-spatial lifestyles, segregation, and community in globalizing spaces. He has written 8 books, edited 11 books and journal issues, and written over 100 articles in prestigious journals in geography and science. Schnell has also organized 8 major conferences, including the meeting of the International Association of Geographers in 2010.