Israelis are not racist. They are traumatized.
By acknowledging and appreciating this trauma, we can begin to realize the extraordinary Palestinian-led PR trick that has cast Israel as the “Goliath” in the Middle East.
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The discourse around Israel and its actions, including but not limited to the Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah war, often gravitates towards binary judgments, labeling the nation and its people as either oppressors or victims, racists or defenders.
However, the reality is far more complex, deeply rooted in historical trauma and ongoing conflict, both of which profoundly shape the Israeli psyche and behavior.
To understand Israel’s actions, one must delve into the historical and psychological factors that influence its society.
Historical Trauma: A Foundation of Fear
The Jewish People have a long history of persecution, which culminated in the Holocaust, where six million Jews were systematically exterminated.
This trauma is not a distant memory but a living, breathing part of Israeli identity. As a matter of fact, Israel is one of the only countries with two official memorial days. We say in Israel: Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism) reminds us about the cost of having a state, and Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) about the cost of not.
The State of Israel was established in 1948, partly as a response to the Holocaust, providing a safe haven for Jews worldwide. But the entire truth is that, already in the late 1800s and early 1900s, thousands of European Jews began immigrating to the lands known today as the State of Israel. They fled pogroms (lethal attacks on Jews) in Europe and other violent acts of antisemitism.
Indeed, the Holocaust did not happen in a vacuum. It was preceded by a dangerous antisemitic undercurrent that swept across Europe for centuries.
And yet, while much has been made about European Jews and the Holocaust, Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) Jews did not exactly have it easy prior to 1948 as well. In accordance with their inferior status in countries like Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Iraq, these Jews were subject to taxation without representation — a special tax just for them, known in Arabic as jizya.
They also had to follow a code of draconian rules. Jews had to defer to Muslims at all times. They could not own weapons. They could not ride horses or use a saddle. They could neither construct synagogues nor repair existing ones, and their prayers could not be audible to others.
They were banned from the military and from public offices. Their homes and houses of worship could not be as tall as those of Muslims. Jewish witnesses could not testify in court. And there were many other discriminatory laws meant to enshrine Jewish inferiority.
Many Arabs claim that antisemitism started with the creation of the Jewish state, a result of the “resistance” to the “Nakba” (the name Palestinians gave to the Arabs’ loss in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that the Arabs started). In reality, many Arabs are among the worst Jew-haters on this planet, a hatred built into their religion (Islam) since its inception circa 610 CE.
Thus, all of this Jewish historical trauma manifests in a pervasive fear of annihilation. For many Israelis, the threats are not abstract but immediate and existential. The memories of the Holocaust, pogroms, and institutionalized antisemitism are passed down through generations, creating a society that is constantly vigilant, often perceiving existential threats where others might not.
This reality is reinforced by Israel’s education systems. For example, while American students like me traveled to San Francisco and Washington, D.C. in middle school and high school, Israeli students travel to Poland to visit the concentration camps. And mandatory conscription — a long process that typically starts for Israeli high school students around the age of 16 — bolsters a defensive, prudent mindset.
The Reality of Continuous Conflict
Since its establishment, Israel has faced continuous conflict with its neighbors. Among others, the 1948 War of Independence, the Six-Day War in 1967, and the Yom Kippur War in 1973 have reinforced a siege mentality. Each conflict has contributed to a national consciousness that survival is precarious and must be defended at all costs.
The Second Intifada (from 2000 to 2005) was particularly traumatic, characterized by frequent suicide bombings and attacks targeting civilians that resulted in more than 1,000 Israeli deaths, 70 percent of which were civilians.
It was preceded by the Camp David Summit in 2000 with U.S. President Bill Clinton, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (who doubled as a renowned terrorist).
The Israelis were willing to give up 92-percent of Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank), as well as its sovereignty in parts of Jerusalem’s Old City and in Jerusalem’s Arab-majority neighborhoods — unprecedented concessions. Instead, Arafat not only declined; he refused to make a counteroffer. Some contend that Arafat’s actions represented the desires of a large swath of Palestinians; that they prefer endless war against Israel over concessions-necessary peace.
As such, these events instilled among many Israelis a deep-seated fear and suspicion of Palestinians. The separation barrier, often criticized by uneducated Westerners, is seen by many Israelis (including myself) as a necessary security measure to prevent further attacks emanating out of the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza. One could even make the argument that certain Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria prevent Palestinian terrorism from hitting “mainland” Israel.
And let’s not forget just some of the Palestinian attacks on Israelis, well before October 7th:
The Munich massacre was a terrorist attack carried out during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Germany by eight members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September. The militants infiltrated the Olympic Village, killed two members of the Israeli Olympic team, and took nine others hostage, who were later killed after a failed rescue attempt.
The 1976 hijacking of an international civilian passenger flight (with 248 passengers) between Tel Aviv and Paris
The 1980 Misgav Am hostage crisis, which began on the eve of the second night of Passover, carried out by Palestinian militants, in which they captured a group of toddlers and babies in the children’s sleeping quarters of the kibbutz and held them as hostages
The 1984 hijacking of bus line 300, in which 41 passengers and a bus driver were attacked and held captive by Palestinian terrorists in Israel
The 2014 Gush Etzion kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers by Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria
Unsurprisingly, living under the constant threat of violence has significant psychological impacts. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent among both soldiers and civilians. The sense of perpetual danger affects decision-making, leading to defensive and, at times, aggressive behaviors. This psychological state can be misinterpreted as racism when, in fact, it is a manifestation of trauma and fear.
For instance, security measures at airports and checkpoints are often stringent and intrusive, disproportionately affecting Palestinians and Arabs. These actions, perceived as racist by some, are often driven by a fear of potential attacks and based on a precedent of countless previous attacks.
While these measures are certainly controversial and can perpetuate cycles of mistrust and resentment, understanding their roots in trauma can offer a more nuanced perspective.
From a global perspective, it is essential to move beyond simplistic labels and understand the deeper causes of behavior. Labeling Israelis as racists without acknowledging their trauma overlooks the historical and psychological dimensions that drive their actions.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most complex and enduring conflicts in modern history. Simplistic labels and binary judgments do little to advance understanding or peace. Recognizing the trauma that shapes Israeli society is a crucial step towards a more nuanced understanding of their actions and motivations.
Israelis are not inherently racist; they are a traumatized people grappling with a history of persecution and an ongoing sense of existential threat. By acknowledging and appreciating this trauma, we can begin to realize the extraordinary Palestinian-led PR trick that has cast Israel as the “Goliath” in the Middle East.
As one of our guest writers so aptly put it:
“That an infinitesimally tiny and universally persecuted minority that had just gone through the Holocaust managed, against all odds, to drive out the region’s British colonizers and resist the joint genocidal war of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt was nothing short of miraculous. That it has held its own in the region against 76 years of relentless violence is equally extraordinary.”1
Wald, Elissa. “From the river to the sea, do not try to gaslight me.” Future of Jewish.
This essay must be made visible to the entire world. And to add to it, the writer or another writer coould explain that in spite of all that Israel and Jews have gone through, we have given the world so very much. A learned man, and scientist spoke at a program I had attended many years, with a list of what the world today would be like without the developement of so much by Jews. From comedy to drama, from music to science, to modern technology, medical, etc. Imagine, no Hollywood, Broadway, cell phones with cameras, memory sticks, etc., etc., etc. I don't think any of those who hate us are willing to give up anything even if they were the ideas and developements of Jews, and Israel.
The only racists are those who seek to eradicate Israel and the Jewish People from their indigenous homeland The Land of Israel