Annexation Attempts as a Two-Level Game: Israel and the West Bank in 1967 and 2020

Geist Pinfold, Rob; Eiran, Ehud

Abstract

Annexation attempts threaten international security and the rules-based world order. Yet, studies of annexation are rare, whilst the scant relevant literature is great-power centric. This article therefore asks why some non-great power annexations succeed, whereas others do not. Applying Putnam's two-level game framework, it analyses an occupier's: (1) domestic politics; (2) international relations; and (3) interactions between these two levels of analysis. It applies this framework to Israeli policy in two specific cases: partial annexation, where Israel annexed East Jerusalem but not the entire West Bank (1967); and Israel's comprehensive but aborted West Bank annexation (2020). This article finds that when the policy would yield maximum domestic returns and minimal global opprobrium, Israel's leaders enacted annexation. They refrained from doing so when this synchronization was absent. These findings illustrate the utility of the two-level game framework for explaining non-great powers’ decision-making and their territorial policies in particular.

Citation

Geist Pinfold, R., & Eiran, E. (2024). Annexation Attempts as a Two-Level Game: Israel and the West Bank in 1967 and 2020. Journal of Global Security Studies, 9(2), Article ogae013. https://doi.org/10.1093/jogss/ogae013

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 1, 2024
• Online Publication Date: May 15, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-06
• Deposit Date: May 16, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: May 16, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Global Security Studies
• Print ISSN: 2057-3189
• Electronic ISSN: 2057-3170
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 2
• Article Number: ogae013
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jogss/ogae013
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2442503