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A Social Psychology Perspective on The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict pp 263–275Cite as

Transitional Justice in Societies Emerging from Intractable Conflicts: Between the Right to Truth and Collective Memory

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Part of the book series: Peace Psychology Book Series ((PPBS))

Abstract

Recent advances in social psychology, focusing on the unique psychological repertoire of societies which are sides to an intractable conflict, can offer a roadmap of the challenges facing attempts to transform societies which have endured a prolonged period of massive violence. However, the recent development of transitional justice, a legal-led approach to conflict resolution, did not rely on extensive social psychology knowledge regarding intractable conflicts. Transitional justice was adopted in recent decades in numerous national processes of transition aiming to ensure the non-recurrence of violence, promotion rule of law, and other democratic values following a totalitarian regime or an intractable conflict. Consisting of a multitude of processes and mechanisms and supported by the United Nations as the primary approach to dealing with legacies of mass human rights violations, transitional justice does aim to reflect intricate social circumstances and promote socially sensitive solutions. Yet, the growing support for transitional justice as an approach to past injustices and social reconstruction has also promoted internationally uniform standards to transitional justice, which thereby limit its ability to create socially specific solutions.

The first part of the paper provides a brief introduction to transitional justice as a thriving field of research and practice. The second part examines truth seeking as a transitional justice goal, while the third part focuses on the right to truth as an emerging concept of international law. The fourth and final part discusses sociopsychological dynamics of societies involved in intractable conflict as potential challenges to truth-seeking efforts such as truth commissions.

“The truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind.”

Emily Dickinson

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council has appointed a Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence, largely regarded as the four pillars of transitional justice.

  2. 2.

    Agreement on the establishment of a “Commission for Historical Clarification of human rights violations…that have caused suffering to the Guatemalan people” preamble, § 2, cited in Kritz (1995) p. 220.

  3. 3.

    Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977.

  4. 4.

    Article 32, Protocol I.

  5. 5.

    Velásquez Rodríguez v. Honduras, Judgment (Ser. C), No. 4, par. 181, p. 75 (29 July 1988).

  6. 6.

    Las Dos Erres Massacre v. Guatemala, Preliminary Objections, Merits, Reparations and Costs, Inter-Am. Ct. H.R. (ser. C) No. 211, 1310 (24 November 2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Sapir College, Sderot Israel and Rothberg International School, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Ofer Shinar Levanon

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  1. Ofer Shinar Levanon
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Correspondence to Ofer Shinar Levanon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel

    Keren Sharvit

  2. Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Psychology, Herzilya, Israel

    Eran Halperin

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Levanon, O.S. (2016). Transitional Justice in Societies Emerging from Intractable Conflicts: Between the Right to Truth and Collective Memory. In: Sharvit, K., Halperin, E. (eds) A Social Psychology Perspective on The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Peace Psychology Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24841-7_18

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