Slaughtered innocents: child victims in political discourse during the Second Intifada and Gaza conflict

Throughout the course of the early years of the Second Intifada, discourses of innocent child victimhood were in frequent use in statements to the western media from both Israeli and Palestinian groups, and in American and British media commentary on the conflict. This discourse has had important political consequences within and beyond the region. This paper will explore the social and political context of these discourses and the diverse actors that mobilised them. It will also analyse their role in legitimating acts of state and non-state violence, including during the 2009 Gaza conflict.