Understandings of Israeli geopolitical identity have traditionally revolved around core themes which have only rarely been deeply questioned. This has left other identitarian dimensions, some which...Show moreUnderstandings of Israeli geopolitical identity have traditionally revolved around core themes which have only rarely been deeply questioned. This has left other identitarian dimensions, some which have recently emerged, undeservedly unexplored. Literature on the topic largely focuses on Israel’s historic Jewish and Western identity dimensions in within the frames pertaining to Israeli domestic affairs, such as the Mizrahi-Ashkenazi divide, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This thesis questions these traditional understandings and attempts to reveal other alternatives, by examining the multidimensionality of Israel’s geopolitical identity in the frame of the emerging US-China polarity. The issue of Israel’s geopolitical identity essentially concerns the question of the way Israel perceives itself and its geopolitical positioning in the global system. As constructed geopolitical ‘realities’, these conceptions are oversimplifications of a much more complex reality. By analyzing Israeli elite discourse in the US-China frame, the following dissertation shows how alternative identitarian dimensions have emerged, whilst some traditional dimensions have endured through elite discourse in Israel. The research aims to broaden the discussion surrounding Israel’s geopolitical identity in the 21st century.Show less
