New Wars rational, old War expectations

The violent cycle between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, which took place in the summer of 2014, was understood and perceived by Israeli society as having characteristics of a new war: it was seen as part of an ongoing and never-ending conflict, with no clear starting point or finish, in which one side is not an official state that has an organized military, and in which it is hard to determine what is the ideal outcome for either side. By studying Israeli newspapers' reports of the war, this research report shows that although embracing the mind-set of new wars, it was also framed and perceived in Israeli society as having old war characteristics: There was a belief that a tie breaker can be found; that this violent cycle can fundamentally change the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and there was hope for a clear and decisive end to the war in which one side will be the winner. It is therefore claimed that societies, even when rationally understanding what new wars are, still hold a collective memory of old wars. This shared memory makes them think and hope in ways that fit their past experiences, even when knowing that the nature of conflicts has changed.