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Last update - 01:37 02/07/2008
Israel's split psyche
By Carlo Strenger
Tags: corruption, psychology 

Israel is falling apart, MK Avishay Braverman lamented at the Institute for National Security Studies' annual State of the Nation conference. Our education system, once Israel's pride, is in the dumps; public corruption is rampant; our universities are starving to death; and the income gap is almost as bad as Brazil's.

Braverman's lamentations reflect a general malaise that pervades Israel's public mood. For the first time in Israel's history, skepticism about its viability, worries about its public norms and questions about whether it will still exist in 50 years creep through society and the media. This is puzzling: Israel was in much greater external danger in the past, and its economic and military resources are more developed today than ever before.

So why is Israel incapable of tackling its social problems? Why don't the corruption scandals, the terrible state of our education system or the deadlock of our geopolitical situation bring people out to the streets? After Sabra and Chatila, the Israeli public was galvanized; hundreds of thousands went to demonstrate on the square in which Yitzhak Rabin was to be murdered 13 years later. The Kahan commission, appointed under the pressure of public protest, ruled that Ariel Sharon was unfit to ever serve as defense minister.
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In the past, Israel was sure of its moral rightness. The current feeling that Israeli society is crumbling reflects something essentially new: Israel is no longer sure of its moral foundation.

The paralysis reflects a pervasive sense of guilt about Israel's ongoing behavior. On the one hand, Israel is making a great effort to be a decent, democratic and creative society. On the other hand, in the West Bank, Israel continues building double road systems, expropriating Palestinian lands, cutting Palestinian villages in two with the security wall, and preventing Palestinian women from getting to hospitals to give birth.

In this respect, Israel's collective psyche resembles that of a post-traumatic split personality. Men who have gone through trauma, often related to military service, are frequently able to maintain a facade of respectability throughout the day, but are prone to seemingly inexplicable bursts of domestic violence when they come home.

Israel's collective psyche functions similarly: From 1948, shortly after the Holocaust, to 1967, Israel's existence was truly threatened. The country depended on nothing but its military valor, and had few staunch allies. As if we have never woken up from this past, we continue to act as though Israel were still a small, isolated Yishuv threatened by immediate extinction, and as though every action were justified because we must defend our lives.

Israel, as a society and as a country, accepts and respects the moral principle of universal human rights. Deep down, we all know that causing suffering to millions of Palestinians in the West Bank because of the settlements that are deep inside the territories is morally indefensible. And yet we let it happen: We go about our business trying to numb our conscience by saying, "There is no partner" or "The roadblocks are needed to prevent terror attacks" or "Look what happened when we left Gaza! We left, and all we get is Qassam attacks!"

While the latter point has some validity, all polls show that most Israelis believe the settlements deep inside the West Bank jeopardize Israel's security rather than increasing it - and the military experts agree. And these settlements are the reason for the overwhelming majority of the roadblocks and land expropriations that make the Palestinians' lives impossible and have led most Palestinians to believe that Israel doesn't really want peace.

There is only one way to stop the general malaise and curb the fear that Israel is built on quicksand. It is to recover the moral backbone that has been damaged by splitting the Israeli psyche between a decent part that believes in democracy and human rights and another part that numbly, automatically, continues violating all the norms in which we all believe. We need to recover the ability to do some genuine soul-searching, to become accountable for our actions again.

I predict the paralysis will end once Israel gathers the political will to tell the settlers: "We understand your pain and rage, but we made a terrible mistake in sending you into the West Bank. Israel's moral and political survival depends on your coming back home."

Only when we wake up in the morning knowing that there are no more indefensible horrors to repress, no more young soldiers sent to do a job that will harm them for life, and no more Palestinian women losing babies because they cannot arrive at a hospital will we be able to tackle the huge problems inside our society.

The Israeli psyche needs to be liberated from unbearable guilt if we are to recover our resilience and our belief in our right to be here. Only then will the creativity and entrepreneurship that we see in Israel's businesses, R&D and flourishing art scene be liberated to create the society we all want.

Prof. Carlo Strenger, a philosopher and psychoanalyst, teaches at the psychology department of Tel Aviv University and is a member of the World Federation of Scientists' permanent monitoring panel on terrorism.
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  1.   Baloney-Israel needs leadership that inspires its citizens 03:03  |  Sam 02/07/08
  2.   Strenger and His Buddies = A Big Part of the Problem 04:15  |  Tod Zuckerman 02/07/08
  3.   Strenger is way off the mark, the `settlers` are moral 05:15  |  Meir Weinstein 02/07/08
  4.   Stenger Tries To Shift The Blame Off Himself 07:31  |  Ben Israel 02/07/08
  5.   Yes 09:34  |  cfs 02/07/08
  6.   The settlers are moral? 09:37  |  Gadi 02/07/08
  7.   Israel 10:23  |  Ralph 02/07/08
  8.   good article 10:28  |  Helen 02/07/08
  9.   Since the times of our saviour Jesus Christ 10:29  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/07/08
  10.   The superego 10:29  |  DJStahl 02/07/08
  11.   A comment on Ben Israel Post from a Palestinian -1 10:30  |  Bandar Michaels 02/07/08
  12.   Pro or anti Israel? 10:32  |  Lemez 02/07/08
  13.   #3 Meir we saw the "morality" when you prevent Gay Parade in Jeru 10:33  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/07/08
  14.   Strenger is the problem, not the solution 10:39  |  Moshe 02/07/08
  15.   A comment on Ben Israel Post from a Palestinian -2 10:41  |  Bandar Michaels 02/07/08
  16.   superego (2) 10:44  |  DJStahl 02/07/08
  17.   A truly inspiring article 11:02  |  Palestinian in UK 02/07/08
  18.   Brave words from Weinstein gambolling in the GALUT 11:20  |  Ari ben Yisrael 02/07/08
  19.   PEACE WHEN ISLAM ACCEPTS ISRAEL`S SOVEREIGNTY OVER ERETZ YISRAEL 11:20  |  Bill 02/07/08
  20.   Mr. Strenger, are you referring 11:30  |  Jazmine 02/07/08
  21.   Tell me about your childhood Mr Stenger! 11:46  |  Harvey (Chaim) 02/07/08
  22.   #13 What does the pope? 12:03  |  Yosef 02/07/08
  23.   Strenger is right 12:19  |  Sylvie 02/07/08
  24.   Israel`s split psyche 12:36  |  Ceaser 02/07/08
  25.   Sadly, you cannot recover "morality" like a lost earring 12:41  |  Natallie Durson 02/07/08
  26.   This article is the epitomy of Bogus!! 12:51  |  Dr Eric 02/07/08
  27.   KHOMEINI WAS WAITING IN THE RIGHT WING 12:51  |  indrajaya 02/07/08
  28.   Not perfect, but certainly moral and justified 12:53  |  Ilan 02/07/08
  29.   read the talkbacks 12:57  |  Murray 02/07/08
  30.   VERY CONFUSED SELF HATING ISRAELI LEFT -PRIMARY FUEL for TERROR!! 13:06  |  Dr Eric 02/07/08
  31.   Peace or settelments: a choice 13:09  |  A.M. 02/07/08
  32.   It`s an ugly mirror he`s holding up to your face, innit? 13:14  |  Johnboy 02/07/08
  33.   MORE LANDS GRAB, MORE HATRED, MORE KILLING, WHAT NEXT? 13:16  |  indrajaya 02/07/08
  34.   Does the Israeli left really love the situation in sderot??? 13:17  |  dr eric 02/07/08
  35.   dear AM -#31- what caused what?? 13:29  |  Dr eric 02/07/08
  36.   Hey, we always had our "Prophetes" 13:35  |  Buzaglow 02/07/08
  37.   the left does it again 13:39  |  peter 02/07/08
  38.   Israels morality 13:45  |  Oetis 02/07/08
  39.   He`s right of course, but it may be too late. 13:45  |  Michael 02/07/08
  40.   #25 One of your best posts, Natallie 13:50  |  Johnboy 02/07/08
  41.   It`s never been about land 13:55  |  Lou 02/07/08
  42.   Tomorrow Stenger`d say"We left WB,now let pals settle here,then 14:01  |  Absolute Sweden 02/07/08
  43.   Johnboy and ND 14:45  |  Ben Hamarav 02/07/08
  44.   To Johnboy #32 14:45  |  oetis 02/07/08
  45.   HORROR AT RESISTING TERROR AND INTIMIDATION 15:11  |  B 02/07/08
  46.   What about Gaza ? 15:13  |  Jan Elshout 02/07/08
  47.   Strenger, the horrors you mean include shooting motorists? 15:34  |  Boaz 02/07/08
  48.   Strenger or Stranger? 15:51  |  Hastaroth 02/07/08
  49.   Indrajaya #33 What was the hatred B4? 16:00  |  Yehuda 02/07/08
  50.   Indrajaya #27 (help w/dates-RE:Khomeini) 16:13  |  Yehuda 02/07/08
  51.   How Correct He Is, But.... 16:15  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/07/08
  52.   Bottom Line: No peace because no agreement on core issues 16:24  |  Sam 02/07/08
  53.   More anti-Israel diatribes from the TA leftists 16:25  |  Arie 02/07/08
  54.   A General rule to follow 16:26  |  Yehuda 02/07/08
  55.   Misguided theory 16:33  |  Michael N 02/07/08
  56.   To Mr. Strenger 16:42  |  Cecile 02/07/08
  57.   so many reasons for a "one state solution" 16:50  |  fab 02/07/08
  58.   Israel`s Double Standard 16:58  |  Shimon Z. Klein 02/07/08
  59.   A good start would be... 17:05  |  Pssd Off American 02/07/08
  60.   It`s always been about land.. 17:41  |  Edithann 02/07/08
  61.   To Pssd off America; a good start would be 17:41  |  Oetis 02/07/08
  62.   TO NATALLIE DURSON 17:45  |  expat okie/texan 02/07/08
  63.   Israel`s split psyche 17:58  |  julie 02/07/08
  64.   The whine or `moral rightness..or the lack.. 18:10  |  Edithann Stephens 02/07/08
  65.   For Evil To Triumph, All You Need Is.... 18:39  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/07/08
  66.   there is no DEEP West Bank 18:44  |  z 02/07/08
  67.   Restoring Israel`s moral backbone.... 18:58  |  Dutch 02/07/08
  68.   The zionist dream of a Greater Israel was the founding creed of 19:09  |  lakshmi 02/07/08
  69.   MORALITY BASED ON A FAIRY TALE 19:12  |  SWEENEY 02/07/08
  70.   #22 Yes we can march in TA, but as a gay Catholic 19:13  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/07/08
  71.   there is no DEEP West Bank OCCUPATION 19:23  |  eve 02/07/08
  72.   At Last some real good advices from Prof. C.STRENGER. 19:27  |  Aref. 02/07/08
  73.   ISRAEL NEVER LOST IT`S MORALITY...called self defense/survival 20:07  |  jewish doctor 02/07/08
  74.   Israelis need to stand up and say" no" to the occupaion... 20:29  |  Dutch 02/07/08
  75.   israel... overtaken by greed and arrogance 20:57  |  ravi 02/07/08
  76.   The occupation & settlements should already be history 21:03  |  Dutch 02/07/08
  77.   @38 oetis. ilan pappe is an idiot and terror sympitiser 21:03  |  vladimir 02/07/08
  78.   Hannah Arendt 21:13  |  Anthony 02/07/08
  79.   More Lefty self-mutilation 21:27  |  FOX 02/07/08
  80.   So Ravi, you are telling us that... 21:35  |  FOX 02/07/08
  81.   Sadly Natalie is correct 21:39  |  Marilyn 02/07/08
  82.   @66 vladimir 21:40  |  Mark B. 02/07/08
  83.   No Its everyone else`s fault 21:40  |  D. 02/07/08
  84.   Read Burston 21:43  |  daat y 02/07/08
  85.   69...fox 22:09  |  ravi 02/07/08
  86.   `Israel will recover its morality...` 22:17  |  Colin Wright 02/07/08
  87.   Carlo`s claptrap 22:19  |  peter 02/07/08
  88.   #25 Natalie - Practice what you preach 22:53  |  Arie 02/07/08
  89.   Shallow article 23:08  |  Elite 02/07/08
  90.   I believe Israel will not exist in 50 years 23:20  |  Lamont Phemister 02/07/08
  91.   Recover Morality? 23:39  |  someone 02/07/08
  92.   Ravi, boom goes your morality 23:59  |  FOX 02/07/08
  93.   Israel`s Split Psyche 00:29  |  Deborah 03/07/08
  94.   Carlo Stenger Read this on regaining Israel`s moral backbone 00:49  |  Dutch 03/07/08
  95.   The only way 07:39  |  Janice 03/07/08
  96.   Israel`s split psyche 00:57  |  Johann Funk 04/07/08
  97.   Israeli morality: Lamont Phemister`s comment 23:41  |  Eve Segal 04/07/08
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Iran: Any attack on our nuclear facility will be beginning of war
Responses: 193
Colombia hostage rescue: the Israeli angle
Responses: 87


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