Contested Victimhood: (Un)Courting Victims of Terrorism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Abstract

Despite the growing number of victims of terrorism globally, research is scant about a class of victims who, in theory, epitomize Nils Christie’s concept of the “Ideal Victim,” deemed worthy of public sympathy and social support. The difficult experiences of terrorism victims in Israel, particularly in military court proceedings as documented through interviews, court transcripts, and observations, highlight how the politicization of terrorism exacerbates secondary victimization for terror victims and their families. We postulate that, in addition to the adversarial legal system constraints victims experience in legal proceedings, victim identity in Israel is culturally eschewed in favor of a national(ist) meta-narrative that valorizes strength and self-reliance. A militarized Israeli society asserting its superior might is a symbolic rejection of a helpless victim status, historically forced upon Jews facing persecution and terror. We conclude that terror victims’ treatment mirrors a given society’s image of itself.