Planned encounters between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis: A social-psychological perspective

Several ideas derived from Social Identity Theory are used to analyze intergroup processes taking place in planned encounters between Jews and Palestinians in Israel. In addition to the interpersonal dimension of such encounters, the article focuses on the importance of intergroup variables (e.g., power and status differences) in understanding psychological and behavioral reactions of majority and minority group members. The theoretical analysis brought here is used to suggest ways that can improve the management of structured Jewish-Palestinian meetings.