Why is Israel so Mean? Lessons from History, Lessons in Politics

Overall, Israel’s actions are understandable, and even legal and justified under international law. They were attacked in the most heinous way imaginable by Hamas — the most dangerous and uncompromising terrorist group one can think of — and now they are both eliminating the future threat from Hamas, and rescuing their hostages.

But Israel seems to be lacking in two key areas. Care and restraint to save civilian lives, and support for aid shipments.

Why would they do this?

Survival

The first reason is survival. As I have written before, Israeli Jews have a survival mindset. Westerners may not be able to appreciate the level and time scale of the threat against Jews generally, and Israeli Jews in particular.

After 2500 years of persecution and ethnic cleansing, the Holocaust, at least three genocidal attacks from alliances of multiple neighboring, Arab armies, 95 years of internal terror attacks, constant de-legitimization by academics and activists, and now October 7th, Israelis are aware that their lives and safety, and that of their children and families, is always at risk in a way Westerner non-Jews are not going to understand.

Deterrence

The attacks on October 7th were celebrated around the world in shocking displays of pro-terrorist glee. The reason is that it seemed to indicate Israel was vulnerable, and there is nothing a certain kind of activist likes more than the prospect of Israel’s destruction and defeat.

These celebrations occurred while the bodies were practically still warm, and Israel had not yet organized any counterattack. Israel was still working for a few days to hunt down and remove the terrorists who were actively killing people in Southern Israel at this time.

All this is to say, anti-Israel forces and countries almost literally smelled blood. And Israelis all know it.

One reason for the harsh, overwhelming (and some would say merciless) counterattack is to show that Israel is strong, Israel will counter any attacks, and that you “cannot out-crazy Israel” as NYT columnist Thomas Friedman often describes it.

Negotiating power

Already, Israel has completely shifted the calculus about negotiating with Hamas. In 2011, Israel traded 1,000 prisoners, many of whom were serving multiple life sentences for serious crimes, for one hostage.

In this conflict, in late November, Israel traded 240 prisoners for 107 hostages.

They went from a 1000:1 ratio to about 2:1.

The damage, threat and resolute goal of killing the Hamas terrorists, and driving the rest from power, puts far more pressure on Hamas, both directly, and indirectly by motivating Gazan civilians to reject Hamas, who started this war knowing full well the civilians on the surface would die more easily and often than the militants in the tunnels.

But what about aid?

None of us really know what is happening in the Israeli Unity War Cabinet (which now includes centrists and opposition politicians, along with Netanyahu) or in the Israeli government generally.

(If anyone has reliable reporting on this, please contribute it in the comments.)

Politics and Government

Israel, like many countries, has a parliamentary system where the parliament members are directly elected, then they form a government by negotiating among themselves.

Recently, more liberal and conservative elements have been in a deadlock, and forming a government has been very difficult. Likud, led by Netanyahu, formed a government that included far-Right, extremist politicians. These politicians really are as bad as Western “oppression-oriented” activists say Israel is in general, and they have a lot of power because they can bring down the government if they leave the coalition.

Prior to this last election, nobody was willing to allow these nutjobs into government. Perhaps because Netanyahu (like Donald Trump) risks going to prison if he can’t use political power to avoid some criminal proceedings, broke with that tradition and formed a government with the extremists.

Nobody can tell to what extent the extremist elements, or Netanyahu or others are driving actual cruel or even illegal actions, such as slowing down aid, or encouraging or covering up illegal bombings.

The center may still hold, but imperfectly

Overall, Israel still does reasonably well, by the measures we can see. But almost certainly not well enough, and not as well as they could if they really wanted to, and had a centrist or left-leaning government.

I’ve written in the past about the reasonably normal civilian death toll, difficulty in figuring out why aid is not moving faster and so on. These include attempts to smuggle supplies in to Hamas in trucks, UN incompetence, diversion of aid to Hamas instead of civilians, and the refusal of many to leave evacuation zones in Northern Gaza, which are now hard-to-reach.

But I personally believe Israel could do more with its wealth, know-how, and technology if it were internally united and focused on the aid issue.

The U.S. has a good plan to build a shipping pier to facilitate (contraband-free) aid. Why didn’t Israel think it up first?

Empathy fatigue

Palestinians are currently very much in favor of Hamas and even the October 7th attacks. People in Gaza originally elected Hamas (who are now dictators, so younger generations never get to vote).

It takes a lot to be attacked, both continuously for 95 years like the Israelis have, and acutely on October 7th, and still have your fellow Israelis abused and held hostage in Gaza, and be empathetic and nice.

Even comfortable Westerners now suffer from “empathy fatigue” which is considered a form of secondary trauma that blocks one’s ability to be fully engaged, kind and reasonable.

I think it is all our responsibility to rise above any form of hatred or indifference, but I do understand this phenomenon on both sides of the conflict.

There are no angels in this fight, and after 95 years of conflict, both sides are radicalized. The Israelis far less so, and function under rule of law, but there must be a factor where extremists and furious Israelis have “em

Summing it up

We know, or can easily infer, that Israel’s main goals are deterrence, elimination of the Hamas threat, and return of the hostages.

It is harder to know why they are failing at some secondary, humanitarian goals. My speculation here is that internal politics hampers and distorts decision making and the innovation needed to help Gazans while simultaneously destroying their terrorist leadership.

—

I write for free to illuminate and inform. I hope this article sheds light, or at least makes peoople think. Please forward it to those you know, or post it widely and proudly. It may help to rise above simplistic slogans and hate.