Hearts and Minds at Home: Constructing the American Understanding of the 2023 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

<span style="font-weight: 400;">In 1948, the United States became the first country to recognize Israel as a sovereign state, forging a close alliance that has at times threatened relations with other Middle Eastern states. The alliance has been subject to scrutiny by both international and domestic political actors, primarily due to Israeli use&mdash;and alleged misuse&mdash;of American military aid in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conflict, which has grown increasingly disproportionate since 2023, has prompted the emergence of strategic narratives from the United States government explaining its support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza. This thesis reconstructs the sphere of information through which Americans understand the conflict, including government, news, and social media sources, and it evaluates the success or failure of different government narratives in legitimizing and framing the conflict among domestic audiences.</span>