Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanity

<p dir="ltr">The events of 7 October and the ensuing Israeli bombardment of Gaza have emerged as a critical juncture in global politics. This war did not unfold in isolation; rather, the positions taken by various international actors significantly shaped its trajectory. In particula...

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محفوظ في:
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Ibrahim Fraihat (20280354) (author)
مؤلفون آخرون: Reema Aburamadan (22929115) (author)
منشور في: 2025
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الوسوم: إضافة وسم
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author Ibrahim Fraihat (20280354)
author2 Reema Aburamadan (22929115)
author2_role author
author_facet Ibrahim Fraihat (20280354)
Reema Aburamadan (22929115)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Ibrahim Fraihat (20280354)
Reema Aburamadan (22929115)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-09-15T09:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1080/01436597.2025.2549774
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Colonial_scripts_how_Western_political_discourse_facilitates_the_erasure_of_Palestinian_humanity/30971884
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Human society
Political science
Language, communication and culture
Communication and media studies
Dehumanisation
Western leaders
Gaza
Israel
Palestinians
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanity
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p dir="ltr">The events of 7 October and the ensuing Israeli bombardment of Gaza have emerged as a critical juncture in global politics. This war did not unfold in isolation; rather, the positions taken by various international actors significantly shaped its trajectory. In particular, the early and sustained support of certain superpower governments played a decisive role in enabling the continuation of hostilities and facilitating the commission of Israeli atrocities. This paper examines how Western political leaders – including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – rhetorically enabled this devastation. Through statements that dehumanised Palestinians and framed the conflict in reductive and ahistorical terms, these leaders contributed to a discourse that normalised disproportionate violence and erased Palestinian personhood. The study identifies five rhetorical strategies that facilitated this erasure: the reductive ‘Israel–Hamas’ framing of the conflict, the dehistoricisation of Palestinian suffering, the denial of Palestinian self-defence, the objectification of Palestinian children, and the selective empathy in addressing the hostage crisis.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Third World Quarterly<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2025.2549774" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2025.2549774</a></p>
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identifier_str_mv 10.1080/01436597.2025.2549774
network_acronym_str Manara2
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oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/30971884
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spelling Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanityIbrahim Fraihat (20280354)Reema Aburamadan (22929115)Human societyPolitical scienceLanguage, communication and cultureCommunication and media studiesDehumanisationWestern leadersGazaIsraelPalestinians<p dir="ltr">The events of 7 October and the ensuing Israeli bombardment of Gaza have emerged as a critical juncture in global politics. This war did not unfold in isolation; rather, the positions taken by various international actors significantly shaped its trajectory. In particular, the early and sustained support of certain superpower governments played a decisive role in enabling the continuation of hostilities and facilitating the commission of Israeli atrocities. This paper examines how Western political leaders – including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – rhetorically enabled this devastation. Through statements that dehumanised Palestinians and framed the conflict in reductive and ahistorical terms, these leaders contributed to a discourse that normalised disproportionate violence and erased Palestinian personhood. The study identifies five rhetorical strategies that facilitated this erasure: the reductive ‘Israel–Hamas’ framing of the conflict, the dehistoricisation of Palestinian suffering, the denial of Palestinian self-defence, the objectification of Palestinian children, and the selective empathy in addressing the hostage crisis.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Third World Quarterly<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2025.2549774" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2025.2549774</a></p>2025-09-15T09:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1080/01436597.2025.2549774https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Colonial_scripts_how_Western_political_discourse_facilitates_the_erasure_of_Palestinian_humanity/30971884CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/309718842025-09-15T09:00:00Z
spellingShingle Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanity
Ibrahim Fraihat (20280354)
Human society
Political science
Language, communication and culture
Communication and media studies
Dehumanisation
Western leaders
Gaza
Israel
Palestinians
status_str publishedVersion
title Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanity
title_full Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanity
title_fullStr Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanity
title_full_unstemmed Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanity
title_short Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanity
title_sort Colonial scripts: how Western political discourse facilitates the erasure of Palestinian humanity
topic Human society
Political science
Language, communication and culture
Communication and media studies
Dehumanisation
Western leaders
Gaza
Israel
Palestinians