Intergroup contact in settings of protracted ethnopolitical conflict

Intergroup contact, encounters, and dialogues are pervasively used in settings of protracted, ethnopolitical conflict as a device for improving relations between the sides and promoting conflict resolution and reconciliation. This chapter reviews the theoretical underpinnings of such efforts and discusses different models and modes of planned intergroup contact in conflict, as well as the potential of the intergroup encounters to bring about change, while focusing on the ethical implications and consequences of the encounter with the other and its narrative in the setting of protracted ethnopolitical conflict. Specifically, it focuses on the case study of the violent protracted asymmetric conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. In this context it discusses the extent to which different modes and models of organized intergroups can overcome moral exclusion, extend the boundaries of moral responsibility for the other, and increase support for more socially just and equitable relations.