“Meeting the Enemy”: The Reception of a Television Interview With a Female Palestinian Terrorist Among Jewish Youth in Israel

Abstract

In this study the authors investigate the ways in which a television interview with a Palestinian female terrorist was received by Jewish-Israeli youth with hawkish political views, focusing on their emotional reactions. The ethical implications of the interpretive acts performed by viewers are discussed. The authors' analysis of viewers' responses to a media portrayal of a female terrorist contributes to the understanding of the role played by gender in the construction of enemy images in violent conflicts.