Golden Dawn, the most successful National Socialist party since Hitler’s NSDAP and Greece’s third-largest political force at its peak, underwent a significant ideological shift in the 2010s. Initially, the party admired Islamist movements as anti-imperial allies in a shared struggle against Western globalism and Zionism, a stance rooted in antisemitic beliefs that framed Islamist resistance as countering perceived Jewish and American dominance. However, during the immigration crisis, as Greece became a major entry point for Middle Eastern immigrants, Golden Dawn pivoted sharply to Islamophobia, portraying Islam and Muslim immigrants as existential threats to Greek identity. Using discourse analysis of the Golden Dawn’s publications from 1993 to 2020, this article examines this transformation and introduces the Dynamic Nationalist Alignments (DNA) theory to explain how far-Right movements adapt ideological boundaries in response to situational pressures. The findings highlight the malleability of extremist ideologies and their exploitation of socio-political crises to maintain relevance and expand influence.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is fueled by contested historical narratives. This article examines how Palestinian elites have systematically re-engineered select periods and figures from antiquity to reinforce national identity while undermining rival Zionist claims. We analyze three interrelated narratives: Solomon Temple denial, appropriation of Canaanite ancestry, and the Palestinization of Jesus Christ. Through examination of official pronouncements, religious sermons, educational materials, and media content, we demonstrate how these narratives form a coherent nation-building project that simultaneously asserts Palestinian continuity on the land and challenges Jewish historical claims. Grounded in theoretical frameworks of chosen glories and vicarious identity, this study reveals how these revisionist accounts aim to foster collective pride and challenge the perception of Jews as an ancient nation. The findings illuminate how the refashioning of history shapes both Palestinian self-perception and the broader framing of the conflict.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the rhetorical strategies and narrative techniques employed by Israeli far-right political figures during the early months of the Iron Swords War (October–December 2023) in Gaza. Utilising a qualitative discourse analysis approach, the research focuses on televised speeches and public statements made by key far-right figures within Netanyahu's coalition, amidst the crisis following the October 7 attacks and the contentious jurisdictional reforms. These narratives served as a pivotal tool for political consolidation and public persuasion. Central to this analysis are concepts that elucidate how historical narratives are employed to shape collective identity and behaviour. The study reveals that, in response to accusations against Netanyahu's coalition for failures related to the events of October 7, there was a strategic emphasis on fostering national unity. This was achieved by invoking ancient Jewish historical narratives and symbols, with the aim of transcending religious and political divides and instilling a sense of shared heritage and purpose. The findings suggest that these rhetorical strategies were not only a response to the immediate crisis but also a critical tool for consolidating power and bolstering the coalition's legitimacy. The study contributes to the understanding of political discourse in times of national crisis, highlighting the role of historical narratives in shaping national identity and the dynamics of power within contemporary Israeli politics.

This article traces the characteristics of the political discourse in the post-modern era, which sees the necessity of using traumas and defeat to create national-religious narratives. Through a critical discourse study of two case studies—the Battle of Masada (73 CE) and the Battle of Sarikamis (1914–1915), this article presents an analytical perspective on how right-wing populist elites in Turkey and Israel use trauma to boost ontological security within their public audience. Despite the historical, socio-political, and governmental differences between the two states, these cases, throughout the last twenty years, served as a tool to turn historical traumas into national glorified collective memory. Leaning on historical backgrounds, through analysis of speeches, this article offers a socio-psychological theoretical framework for examining how traumas could symbolize ‘heroic resistance’ against enemies. This article explores how the right-wing leadership reshape traumas through a religious narrative of redemption and a nationalist narrative of strength.

Bar’s study examines and analyses the historical narratives and use of Jewish history put forward by Rabbi Meir Kahane (1932–1990), one of the most extreme far-right radicals ever to hold political power in Israel. Drawing on a variety of primary and secondary sources, Bar reviews the ways in which Kahane’s historical interpretation is used to support his modern political and ideological positions. He finds that two main paths serve as a fulcrum for Kahane’s historical reception to justify his demands for segregation and separation between Jews and Gentiles (including the forced transfer of Israeli Arabs and/or Palestinians) on a theological-historical basis. The first is admonitory, and utilizes the Holocaust as a negative example to show how assimilation and coexistence—in Israel or elsewhere—between Jews and Gentiles leads to an inevitable ‘physical and spiritual Auschwitz’. The second path is a positive one, which looks to the utopian ‘golden ages’ of Jewish history in ancient times as an example of how past heroes and leaders, such as biblical figures or the Hasmoneans, behaved in the face of hardships and risks of assimilation, as well as the destruction of Jewish lives and religious practices.