This article explores the relationship between ethnic identity and violent conflict focusing primarily on the Israeli-Palestinian case. Drawing on a wide array of ethnic conflicts and framing theories we suggest that the ethnic frame is the most widely acceptable and easily legitimating tool in contemporary conflicts. We further sketch an inventory of framing elements acting as discursive mobilising devices in the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation. We conclude that both the prevailing positivist-rationalist analytical accounts focusing on interest-based, security-related policies and the constructivist alternative concentrating on identity-based issues are helpful for understanding the true nature of the link between ethnicity and violence. Keywords: ethnicity, violence, framing, conflict, identity construction, intergroup boundaries. The point for discussion in our article is the assumed correlation between stronger ethnic group identities and violent conflicts with the main focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and with brief references to some other cases. In our understanding, the nature of this protracted confrontation is clearly ethnic though its religious dimension plays a significant role as well. That is why we have to briefly touch upon the role of religion in our discourse. Unfortunately religion is sometimes used to justify violence, and certain groups profess hatreds and call for criminal atrocities in its name. In general, ethnic and religious identities quite frequently cannot be separated from each other. Focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict we have also to bear in mind the fact that it can be regarded as a part of a broader conflict — between the Arabs and Israel. Many violent armed conflicts are traditionally explained, at least in part, by the influence of animosity between ethnic groups. This is particularly true of many non-academic, journalistic accounts of war. But in reality ethnic hatreds are rather the result of violence than it ... Read more