Autocratization and the Question of Palestine

In recent years, domestic polarization in countries of the Global South has increasingly reflected a key debate hitherto limited to geopolitical and international analysis: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Around the globe, with the far-right solidifying its rapprochement with Christian Zionism and the populist left reinforcing its historical association with South-South solidarity to Palestine, both sides capitalize and leverage politically over the war. After the October 7th 2023 attack against Israel and the ensuing War on Gaza, democratic erosion has been increasingly associated with the far-right and religious-nationalist leaders in countries like India, Brazil, Argentina, Hungary, the United States, and many others. How does the Question of Palestine reflect domestically in different scenarios considering both the autocratization growth as well as the resistance to the erosion of democratic institutions post-October 7th? We particularly invite contributions discussing how domestic elites and popular groups in different countries of the Global South take over the religious narrative and position themselves vis-a-vis the Question of Palestine in highly polarized societies. We are also interested in comparative and case studies of countries that have not reflected such polarization domestically. Authors are encouraged to explore the role of religious homogeneity, political design, or other explaining factors for each scenario.