Narrative versus Counter-Narrative: The Impact of the Al-Aqsa Flood on the Ascendancy of the

Ranjbar, MohammadAli; Adelian, Mohammadjavad

doi:10.22034/csiw.2026.742000

Narrative versus Counter-Narrative: The Impact of the Al-Aqsa Flood on the Ascendancy of the "Israel-in-Crisis" Narrative over the "Normalcy" Counter-Narrative

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

MohammadAli Ranjbar ¹

Mohammadjavad Adelian ²

¹ Department of Political Science, Baqir al-‘Ulum University

² M.A. Student of Political Science, Baqir al-‘Ulum University

10.22034/csiw.2026.742000

Abstract

The Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, 2023, marked the beginning of one of the deepest narrative crises in the history of the Israeli regime. This crisis not only disrupted Israel's security and military structures but also undermined the cognitive, symbolic, and institutional foundations of its hegemonic narrative. This article aims to explain the mechanisms underlying the post-event narrative crisis and to analyze how the narrative of the "Israeli regime in crisis" came to prevail over the counter-narrative of "normalcy." Adopting a qualitative approach, the study analyzes the content of 160 media texts, institutional reports, and policy documents published between October 2023 and October 2024. The analysis is grounded in the theoretical framework of narrative failure (Tilly), supplemented by complementary interpretations of social imaginaries (Taylor), cultural hegemony (Gramsci), and digital resistance (de Certeau). The findings indicate that the crisis triggered by October 7 resulted in the breakdown of Israel's dominant narrative at three levels: symbolic, discursive, and institutional. The article concludes that the Al-Aqsa Flood was not merely a military event but also a narrative crisis that structurally transformed Israel's cognitive and hegemonic equilibrium, and it offers a new framework for studying security and perceptual crises in the Islamic world.

Keywords

Narrative Crisis

Operation Al-Aqsa Storm

Narrative Failure

Counter-Narrative

Legitimacy Crisis

Narrative Warfare