Israel’s PTSD Election

Three years have passed since Hamas’ murderous 2023 onslaught on Israel. Many observers refer to October 7 without understanding its ongoing psychological effect on Israelis. The Israeli people are suffering from what amounts to post-traumatic stress syndrome—feeding both a deep sense of insecurity and an inability to feel anything but their own pain. Without understanding the depth of Israel’s shock and paralysis, it will prove very difficult to influence Israel’s behavior toward the Palestinians or its approach toward perceived threats. Of course, the Palestinians’ trauma is no less acute, particularly given the death and destruction that Israel inflicted on Gaza after Hamas’s 2023 attack. Yet Israel’s looming election creates at least the possibility of change, provided that the psychic context in which Israelis are operating is understood…

Read the full article on the National Interest website.