Results and discussion

The first hypothesis of the study, according to which peace education programs influence more peripheral attitudes and beliefs based on collective narratives of the groups and less on the central attitudes and beliefs, was confirmed. Peace education programs can't influence significantly on the beliefs that stand in the center of the collective narrative (e.g., Balfour declaration; 1948 and 1967 wars, Palestinian refugees). On the other hand, the research showed that more peripheral beliefs and attitudes (e.g. stereotypes, prejudices and negative emotions) can more easily be changed through a peace education program. As found in this study the PE programs have an immediate impact on the perceived importance of the peripheral beliefs. Jewish youth changed significantly their perceived importance of Palestinian peripheral beliefs about the conflict, compared to more central beliefs as a result of their participation in PE program  [ (F (1,369) = 25.6, p < .001) vs. (F (1,369) = 4.83, p < .05) ]. In addition, Palestinian youth changed significantly their perceived importance of Jewish peripheral beliefs about the conflict, compared to more central beliefs as a result of their participation in PE program  [ (F (1,142) = 21.1, p < .001) vs. (F (1,142) = 0.31, ns. ) ]. The perceived importance of the other narrative of Palestinian and Jewish control group (youth that didn't participate in the PE program) didn't change significantly during this period of time.

The second hypothesis of the study, according to which changed attitudes and beliefs will change back after a few months, following the adverse social and political environmental influences, was confirmed. Two months after the participation in the peace education program this study found that the significant part of changed attitudes and beliefs of the Jewish and Palestinian participants changed back to their initial level.

According to the fourth hypothesis of the study, participation in "induced compliance" activity a few months after the participation in a peace education program will rehabilitate the educational changes in attitudes and beliefs that were achieved following the program, was confirmed. The study showed that the youngsters that participated in an "induced compliance" activity improved their positive attitudes and beliefs about the "other" narrative of the conflict.

In summary, the present study showed that peace education programs can effectively influence youngsters' peripheral attitudes and beliefs, while the roadblocks of peace education pertain to the core beliefs that stand in the center of the groups' collective narratives. However, peripheral attitudes and beliefs that are more easily affected by peace education programs changed back as easily by adverse social and political influences. Role-play "induced compliance" based activity can rehabilitate the educational influences of the program. This research is important in terms of theory, policy and practice. The results of this study can promote better understanding of the possibilities and the limits of peace education within societies engaged in intractable conflict, and also the ways to overcome these limits.

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This article is based on doctoral dissertation submitted to the University of Haifa, Faculty of Education by the author. Prof. Gavriel Salomon directed the work.