Rawls on respect and self-respect: An Israeli perspective

This essay provides a detailed and critical analysis of Rawls' notions of respect and self-respect from the vantage point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It demonstrates that Rawls' empirical and normative claims concerning respect and self-respect are pivotal to his theorizing on psychology and politics. It considers the extent to which processes and developments in Israeli-Palestinian relations can be said to be compatible with - or even corroborate - some of Rawls' empirical hypotheses concerning the interdependence of respect and self-respect. It establishes where the values entailed in Rawls' perspective on respect and self-respect would place a Rawlsian vis-à-vis some aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian question.