Rural Sociology 0(0), 2019, pp. 1–26 DOI: 10.1111/ruso.12274 © 2019 by the Rural Sociological Society Love of Land: Nature Protection, Nationalism, and the Struggle over the Establishment of New Communities in Israel* Shai M. Dromi Department of Sociology  Harvard University Liron Shani Department of Sociology and Anthropology  Hebrew University of Jerusalem STS Program  Massachusetts Institute of Technology Abstract Although there is burgeoning research on environmental activ- ism, few studies have examined the interrelationship between nationalism and nature protection in detail. This article examines how groups manage the tension between national commitment and caring for the environment. It focuses on two opposing Israeli activist groups: a settler movement that aims to establish new communities in the fast-dwindling Israeli open expanses and a “green” movement intent on preserving open spaces. Our observations, interviews, and textual analysis show that both groups believe themselves to be committed to the protection of nature, and that both groups see environ- mental responsibility as an integral aspect of their Zionist identity. However, the Israeli green movement sees abstaining from interventions in nature and adhering to sustainable development as Zionist because it preserves Israel for future generations. Conversely, the settler movement sees active intervention in nature—by building new communities, planting trees, and hiking—as the proper way to protect Israeli natural expanses and to maintain the livelihood of Israeli society. Our case study demonstrates that, although environmental movements often aspire to universalism, local movements also interlace envi- ronmentalism and nationalism in ways that generate multiple (and even con- tradictory) interpretations of the appropriate way to care for nature. Introduction Although there is much research on the way environmental values dis- seminate in specific nations, far less is known about the roles nation- alist belief systems play in the local adoption and transmutation of *We are indebted to Eyal Ben Ari and Nurit Stadler for their input on this project. Rafi Grosglik, Matthew Lawrence, Timothy Malacarne, and Kari Norgaard provided valuable comments on previous versions of this article. The research was supported by funding from the Shaine Center for Research in the Social Sciences and the Yad Ora Fund at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We both contributed equally to this article and are listed alphabetically. Direct correspondence to Shai M. Dromi, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; e-mail: shai.dromi@g.harvard.edu.