Legitimization of violence in the political discourse of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu during the Gaza War Press Conference

Nirmala, Farabi and Degaf, Agwin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8551-0867 (2026) Legitimization of violence in the political discourse of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu during the Gaza War Press Conference. Journal of Pragmatics Research, 8 (1). pp. 311-346. ISSN 2656-8020

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Abstract

Political discourse surrounding Gaza frequently invokes the rhetoric of peace as a means to conceal practices of violence and domination. Situated within the broader field of discourse and ideology studies, this phenomenon lies at the intersection of language, power, and moral legitimation. However, it remains insufficiently examined as a joint discursive construction produced by two state leaders within a shared public setting. This article investigates how these leaders concurrently employ linguistic strategies to normalize warfare and legitimize coercive actions, rather than merely to persuade or evoke emotional responses. The study adopts a qualitative approach through content analysis of both the video recording and transcript of a joint press conference, interpreted using Van Dijk’s critical discourse framework, which examines ideological structures at macro- and micro-levels. The findings demonstrate a systematically coordinated use of authority claims, numerical framing, disclaimers, national self-glorification, hyperbolic expressions, and strategic lexical choices. Together, these strategies construct the in-group as moral protectors while marginalizing and obscuring the suffering of the out-group. Such discursive practices redirect global attention away from humanitarian crises and toward political agendas that primarily advance hegemonic interests, thereby reinforcing domination through language. This article advocates for the strengthening of public critical literacy, greater transparency in humanitarian reporting, and the expansion of comparative research across political contexts to deepen understanding of how discourse functions to legitimize violence in contemporary political communication.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	political discourse; ideological square; Trump; Netanyahu; critical discourse analysis
Subjects:	20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2004 Linguistics > 200403 Discourse and Pragmatics
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities > Department of English Language and Letters
Depositing User:	Dr. Agwin Degaf
Date Deposited:	02 Feb 2026 11:18

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