The committee comment:

“The thesis extends upon recent innovations in the study of emotions in IR. Ably drawing in insights from feminist and cultural theories, it provides an original analysis of how emotions, arising from representations of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) as professional, non-threatening and humanitarian, permit civil, military and political tolerance in Israel of violence against Palestinians. Based on detailed empirical findings from ethnographic fieldwork and an impressive range of primary and secondary sources, Dr Jude details how different institutional practices – including education, social media campaigns, forensics, and public commemoration and mourning – contribute to a particular image of the IDF and shape Israeli perceptions of violence against Palestinians. As such, the thesis takes on a broader set of questions about the mechanisms through which meaning-making and identity may limit the space for critique of different forms of violence. It is an innovative work that opens up new directions for the application of the study of emotions.”