Why Israelis and Palestinians both feel war is justified

New poll finds empathy is in very short supply

Sep 21, 2024

black and gray bird on gray concrete wall during daytime — Photo by براء حبوش on Unsplash

The prospect for peace in the Middle East is farther away than ever, with both Palestinians and Israelis convinced their attacks on the other are justified by past grievances.

As the first anniversary of the surprise attack by Hamas on civilians and troops inside Israel on October 7 nears, which prompted massive attacks by Israel killing tens of thousands, a new poll carried out jointly by Palestinian and Israeli researchers paints a picture of two populations holding almost identical views of their justification for war.

The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah and the International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University found feelings of victimization fuel justifications for war and violence.

Eighty percent of Palestinians believe that their recent years of suffering in Gaza justify October 7, and 84 percent of Israeli Jews believe that October 7 justifies the war.

“The symmetry of trends can seem surprising. Israelis and Palestinians experience vastly different realities of the occupation and this war. But the mindset of victimhood and justifications for hostility are so similar as to represent almost a mirror image,” writes journalist Dahlia Scheindlin in the Haaretz newspaper.

Her article is titled “War, apartheid, dehumanization: Polls of Palestinians and Israelis reveal bleak parallels.”

The mindset of victimhood and justifications for hostility are so similar as to represent almost a mirror image.

Other findings are equally sobering:

Over 60 percent of Palestinians believe that Israel's aim in the war in Gaza is to commit genocide. Similarly, two-thirds (66 percent) of Israeli Jews believe that on October 7, Palestinians sought to commit genocide against Jews.
Eighty-nine percent of Palestinians believe the land "very much" belongs to them and 92 percent of Israeli Jews say the land very much belongs to them.
Eighty-five percent of Israeli Jews recently agreed that "the victimization of Jews is the worst compared to other people that suffered from persecution and injustice." Among Palestinians, 83 percent agreed with the same statement, arguing that Palestinian victimization is the worst compared to all others.
An absolute majority, over half on both sides, think the war will go regional and might even draw in Iran.

As I have written about recently, the leaders in Hamas and the Israeli government have weaponized these grievances for their political gain.

And now Israel seems intent on opening a new front in the war by launching a bizarre remote-detonation attack of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members in neighbouring Lebanon.

It's difficult to find a way out of the war while both sides harbour such deep feelings of justification for their atrocities.

But Scheindlin found a reason to be hopeful in the data, “When both sides are faced with a stark choice – regional war on multiple fronts including possibly Iran, or a regional peace, including a two-state solution and Israeli-Arab normalization – a majority of all groups, over 60 percent of Israelis and Palestinians, choose regional peace.”

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Last week’s poll results

Last week I asked you, “Will Canada’s suspension of arms exports to Israel make an impact on the war in Gaza?” The majority of respondents said “yes” (57%), while one-in-five said “no” and an equal number chose “don’t know/unsure.”

Peace Walkers arrive in Halifax

Peace walkers began a trek on September 8 from Pugwash Nova Scotia and will arrive in Halifax today, September 21, the International Day of Peace. Their walk was covered by CBC TV [Watch].

Saturday’s events in Halifax include walking from World Peace Pavilion to Dalhousie University via Ummah Mosque. From 1:00 - 5:00 pm, it features discussions, motivational speeches, music, and lunch, embodying the spirit of peace and unity.

Speakers include: