The Issue of Stone-Throwing

In this article, I investigate the ways in which Jewish Israeli anti-occupation activists express reluctance to throwing stones during the regular Friday protests in various Palestinian villages. Drawing on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, I highlight their feelings of confusion and ambiguity regarding the issue of stone-throwing, which reflect the contradictory demands placed upon them as both Israelis and activists. I argue that the ambiguity they express cannot be analyzed in an ideological, social, or political vacuum; rather, it should be understood in relation to their hopes, expectations, and disappointments, which are situated within particular political imaginaries and projects, ideological prisms, and cultural topoi . This article aims to analyze the ways in which domination and power structures are both challenged and reinforced within the context of political protest.