The Cognitive and Ideological Role of Conceptual Metaphors in Framing Post-War Gaza Reconstruction: An Analysis of the U.S. 2025 Proposal
Keywords:
Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Critical Metaphor Analysis, Gaza, Peacebuilding, IdeologyAbstract
This study investigates the cognitive and ideological functions of metaphor in the Proposed Post-War Framework for Gaza, released by the White House and published by BBC News in 2025. Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980) and Charteris-Black’s (2004) Critical Metaphor Analysis, the research applies the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU) (Steen, 2007) to the full twenty-point text, comprising approximately 2,200 words. The analysis identifies recurrent metaphorical expressions that conceptualise peace, reconstruction, and governance. Four dominant conceptual domains emerge, ARCHITECTURE, HEALTH/DISEASE, MANAGEMENT, and HEALING, which collectively frame Gaza’s post-war future as an externally designed, medically treated, and technically managed project. These metaphors construct a cognitive model that simplifies complex geopolitical realities while legitimising external intervention through the language of care and reconstruction. The study concludes that metaphors in political discourse not only organise thought but also naturalise power relations, thus operating as cognitive and ideological instruments in the legitimation of peace narratives.
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