Securitization vs the yearning for peace in the Israeli casino discourse

Abstract

This study analyses the controversy in Israel in the years 1958–2003 surrounding the legitimacy of casino gambling, with particular focus on how it was affected by the operations of Casino Oasis in the Palestinian Authority territory between 1998 and 2000. An interpretative narrative analysis of debates in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) and in the local press reveals that, prior to the casino's opening, most of the arguments raised were similar to those seen elsewhere in the world, with opponents objecting on moral, religious and social grounds, and those in favour emphasizing its economic and tourism benefits. However, once Casino Oasis opened its doors, the controversy took on a character not seen anywhere else in this context – opponents raised concerns about terrorism, while proponents championed the casino as a promoter of peace and coexistence – reflecting a broader, more fundamental national debate within Israeli society over the country's physical boundaries.

Keywords:

• casino
• discourse
• legitimacy
• national security
• peace
• Israel

Notes

1. Gambling on such ships went on with the full knowledge of Israeli police, who turned a blind eye for many years. In 2004, however, as part of a general effort to combat money laundering and the Israeli crime syndicates who operated these ships, they were finally shut down.

2. This clause, which empowers courts in Israel to try any Israeli civilian under Israeli law for an act or felony committed in the areas administered by the Palestinian Authority, was enacted to prevent the Palestinian Authority from trying Israelis in its own courts.

3. The Gaza Strip borders Israel on the south-west, and was also handed over to Palestinian civil administration in the Cairo Accords of 1994.

4. Tzomet was a small, independent right-wing party that had recently joined the Likud bloc.