AMMAN – Israeli author, historian, and Beit Berlu lecturer Yehiam Sorek documents the characteristics of Israeli society in a study titled “The Roots of Tyranny and Violence in Israeli Society.”
“The tendency toward force in Israeli society is not a product of yesterday, but dates back to the dark corners of the past, before Zionist ideas were fully realized,” Sorek observes.
He asserts that both textbooks and operational plans were mobilized to destroy or demonize “them” while nurturing and strengthening “us”—that is, to legitimize “us” and demonize “them” (Palestinians and Arabs).
Solek concluded his study with the following question: “If so, why are we not aware of the seeds of heinous acts within and behind us?”
In addition to this, religious Zionism has invaded politics, becoming a force that sacralizes Zionist actions. The result is that land theft is condoned, workplace deprivation is defended, and attacks on Palestinians and Arabs are rationalized. Isn’t that enough?