IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/polsoc/v53y2025i1p3-28.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does the Buck Stop Somewhere? Blame Games and State Capture in the Legalization of the Israeli Land Grab

Author

Listed:
  • Youssef Mnaili

Abstract

This article explores the intricate relationship between the Israeli state and Jewish settlers in the occupied Palestinian West Bank after the Oslo Accords (1993). It shows that, despite the accords, which prohibited the establishment of new settlements, such activities persisted. Instead, the accords triggered the seemingly spontaneous emergence of numerous illegal “hilltop settlements,†tolerated by higher echelons of government and actively supported by lower levels. These settlements subsequently underwent a gradual post hoc formalization process, ultimately leading to their full legalization. The article elucidates how a faction within Israeli society influenced segments of the government, employing blame games as a strategy to rationalize the legitimization of the Israeli land grab. Notably, it highlights the strategic and deceptive tactics employed by various Israeli governments in their dealings with the settler movement. The article concludes by reflecting on the political implications of the settler movement's success for the democratic character of the Israeli state.

Suggested Citation

  • Youssef Mnaili, 2025. "Does the Buck Stop Somewhere? Blame Games and State Capture in the Legalization of the Israeli Land Grab," Politics & Society, , vol. 53(1), pages 3-28, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:polsoc:v:53:y:2025:i:1:p:3-28
    DOI: 10.1177/00323292241256214
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00323292241256214
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/00323292241256214?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:polsoc:v:53:y:2025:i:1:p:3-28. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.