A sense of national coherence and openness to the "other's" collective narrative: The case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The purpose of this study was to examine a new concept-sense of national coherence (SONC) and its role as a mediator between levels of conservativeness (as measured by voting behavior and religious grouping) and the tendency to delegitimize the "other's" collective narratives. Based on Antonovsky's (1987) concept of sense of coherence, SONC is defined as an enduring tendency to perceive one's national group as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful. The research questions were examined among Israeli Jews in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Questionnaires adapted for the research population were delivered to a sample of 505 adults, aged 18 and above, by electronic platform. The results support the research hypotheses regarding the mediating role of SONC. The discussion focuses on the dual role of SONC as a resilience concept and as a potential obstacle for a peace process in conflict areas.