CNN —As fighting continues between Israel and Hamas, many may wonder why this war — and, more broadly, the decades-long Israeli–Palestinian conflict — is so intractable. A feature of sacred values is that they cannot be traded-off with profane values like material incentives to compromise. When each side was offered foreign aid to incentivize the deal, it produced a backfire effect among those who held sacred values. When a symbolic concession was offered, those holding sacred values were less angered and disgusted by the deal, and support for violent opposition plummeted. Carrot-and-stick policies, such as the promise of foreign aid coupled with the threat of sanctions, backfire when presented to those holding sacred values.

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Persons: Nafees Hamid, one’s, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Khaled Meshaal, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel ”, Israel, Bezalel, it’s, Netanyahu Organizations: King’s College London, CNN, UN, Getty, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Defense, Administration, West Bank, Palestinian, New School for Social Research, Jewish, Israel, Tel Aviv University, Bank Locations: Israel, US, Qatar, Palestine, Gaza, Jordan, Russian Republic of Dagestan, Berlin, Jerusalem, Israeli, Palestinian