Love Is a Revolutionary Emotion: Ingroup Solidarity Amid Political Violence in Palestine

ABSTRACT Does violent oppression weaken collective commitment, as dominant models of state power predict, or strengthen it? This paper addresses this question and a second, related one: what is the primary psychological pathway—outgroup hate or ingroup love? Using survey and behavioral data from Palestinians ( N = 386) in the West Bank, I investigate the effects of exposure to Israeli violence. Findings directly challenge deterrence‐based assumptions: violence exposure was associated with stronger, not weaker, collective commitment, including endorsement of sacred values and willingness to engage in collective action. The results also adjudicate the psychological pathway. Exposure to violence was associated with greater ingroup warmth and generosity, but was not associated with outgroup hostility. The association between violence and collective commitment was consistently explained via ingroup warmth, not outgroup hostility. Findings challenge dominant narratives by showing that oppression strengthens rather than weakens commitment, and suggest that this commitment is sustained not by outgroup hostility, but by ingroup love.