ABSTRACT
The basis of this article is a comparison of three elections: the Israeli general election of 29 May 1996, the Northern Ireland forum elections of 30 May 1996, and local elections in the Western Cape province of South Africa on 29 May 1996.1 The purpose of the comparison is to explore the relationship between political violence and political polarization through an examination of the campaigns and outcomes of the three elections. These three cases were chosen not simply because of the coincidence in time in their elections, but because of the frequency and influence of the comparison of Northern Ireland, Israel/ Palestine and South Africa as deeply divided societies/territories.
