https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167216689064 Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 1–15 © 2017 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0146167216689064 journals.sagepub.com/home/pspb Article Introduction Intractable conflicts are perceived by group members as exis- tential and insoluble (Bar-Tal, 2013). Oftentimes, such con- flicts resist resolution because of psychological barriers that block the road to achieving a compromise on issues that sepa- rate the two parties (e.g., division of disputed land). Among these emotional barriers are lack of trust, fear of being blamed as the author of immoral acts, and victims’ desire to avenge past victimization (Nadler, 2012). Furthermore, in intractable conflicts, a sense of collective victimhood is an inseparable part of the shared collective memory of the conflict and the ethos of conflict (e.g., Bar-Tal, 2013). The present research focuses on how the acknowledgment of the ingroup’s victim- hood by the adversary ameliorates the negative consequences of competitive victimhood (Noor, Shnabel, Halabi, & Nadler, 2012). We examine this within the context of the Israeli– Palestinian conflict, one of the most intractable conflicts that, in spite of the great cost in human life, economic resources, and psychological traumas for both sides, has defied resolu- tion for more than a century. Being a victim of others’ violence is a negative psycho- logical experience. It results in an increased sense of humili- ation, fear, anger, and hopelessness, and a desire for revenge (e.g., Skitka, Bauman, & Mullen, 2004). It is a source of threat to identity in that it portrays victims as powerless and lacking control over their fate (e.g., Shnabel & Nadler, 2008). This conglomerate of affective, cognitive, and motivational reactions associated with victimhood constitutes a major psychological barrier to ending the conflict (Noor et al., 2012). In spite of the detrimental consequences of victim- hood for intergroup relations, it is associated with psycho- logical benefits (e.g., garnering support from third parties) and groups competing over which is the “true victim” (Noor et al., 2012). This competitive victimhood has been docu- mented in a number of conflictual contexts. It has dominated relations between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland (Noor, Brown, & Prentice, 2008), Serbs and Croats in the former Yugoslavia (Andrighetto, Mari, Volpato, & Behluli, 2012), and Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle 689064PSP XX X 10.1177/0146167216689064Personality and Social Psychology BulletinHameiri and Nadler research-article 2017 1 Tel Aviv University, Israel 2 Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel 3 Academic College of Society and the Arts, Netanya, Israel Corresponding Author: Arie Nadler, The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. Email: arie@post.tau.ac.il Looking Backward to Move Forward: Effects of Acknowledgment of Victimhood on Readiness to Compromise for Peace in the Protracted Israeli–Palestinian Conflict Boaz Hameiri 1,2 and Arie Nadler 1,3 Abstract Two large-scale surveys conducted in Israel (Study 1A) and the Palestinian Authority (Study 1B) show that the belief by group members that people in the “enemy” group acknowledge their victimhood (i.e., Holocaust and Nakba for Jews and Palestinians, respectively) is associated with Israeli-Jews’ readiness to accept responsibility for Palestinian sufferings and offer apologies. For Palestinians, this belief is linked to a perceived higher likelihood of a reconciled future with Israelis. Three field experiments demonstrate that a manipulated high level of acknowledgment of Jewish victimhood by Palestinians (Studies 2 and 4) and of Palestinian victimhood by Israeli-Jews (Study 3) caused greater readiness to make concessions for the sake of peace on divisive issues (e.g., Jerusalem, the 1967 borders, the right of return) and increased conciliatory attitudes. Additional analyses indicate the mediating role of increased trust and reduced emotional needs in these relationships. Keywords intractable conflict, psychological barriers, psychological intervention, needs-based model, competitive victimhood, victimhood acknowledgment Received November 2, 2015; revision accepted December 21, 2016