Violence is a product of reality not of culture

The barbaric massacre carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, strengthened the Israeli narrative that Palestinian society in its entirety is violent and murderous. On October 7, Palestinian violence did indeed reach its peak, but a historical perspective is important to understand that violence is not ingrained in the DNA of Palestinians.

Ben Shalev’s excellent series “Intifada” is being broadcast on Kan 11. It reminds us of the First Intifada’s cause and nature. The Intifada erupted in 1987 as a primary outburst of ongoing frustration from a population that had been forced for years to relinquish not only its national aspirations but also its dignity, live under military rule amidst expanding settlements, and serve as the woodcutters and water carriers for Israeli society. This pressure cooker first erupted in 1987, twenty years after Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and even then, the Intifada, at least in its early stages, was characterized by unarmed civil protest. Years passed before its character changed from a broad public protest into terrorist attacks under the auspices of Palestinian organizations.

One can only imagine a scenario in which the Jews were the ones conquered during the 1967 Six-Day War. Does anyone think we would have sat quietly for two decades, serving our Arab masters, living without political rights and under military rule, without widespread violent resistance, including violent acts of terrorism, among us? We would most likely do exactly what many Jews did during the British Mandate period and resort to acts of terror, even killing, because violence is not part of Arab or Jewish culture but rather a response of the conquered to their conquerors.

Nothing can justify the shocking acts of violence committed by terrorists and Gazan civilians on October 7, 2023. Such actions are not legitimate resistance to the occupation. They are utterly reprehensible, and Israel has a duty to hold their perpetrators accountable. But these horrors do not justify the prevailing treatment of Palestinians as “inherently violent” or the treatment of their culture as a “violent culture.” This kind of sweeping and generalizing approach lies at the heart of the dehumanization that characterizes Israeli treatment of Palestinians, a dehumanization that leads to statements such as “there are no innocents in Gaza.”

Because of this false narrative, the State of Israel freed itself from the limitations imposed by international law and the constraints required by our morality and conscience as a just society and responded to Palestinian terrorism with unrestrained violence. Decades of occupation, violence, dehumanization, and mutual vengeful passions have led to the radicalization of both sides. This hostility erupted on the Palestinian side on October 7 and on the Israeli side over the past two years. Millions of Israelis and Palestinians endure the terrible consequences of this outbreak on a daily and hourly basis, with little hope.

The study of history, society, and human nature teaches us that violence is not inherent in our genes and that all cultures are equally moral. No culture has a monopoly on cultural behavior, and no society is predisposed to violence. This includes not only the culture of the Jews, but also the culture of the Arabs and German society, which gave rise to the Nazi monster and is now Israel’s closest ally in Europe.

We must not condone violence, but we should recognize that it is a result of a reality that can and should be avoided. The false sense of moral superiority we try to convince ourselves of leads nowhere, except to more and more cycles of retaliatory violence. This sense of moral superiority is painfully reminiscent of anti-Semitic perceptions in the Arab world, which view Jews as “inherently violent,” or of classic European anti-Semitism that sees Jews as cunning and greedy.

Viewing the opposing side as “morally inferior” helps us ignore its needs and aspirations and dismiss our opponents’ struggle as just another manifestation of an innate tendency toward violence. At a time when Israeli society has become more radical and violent than ever, the demand for the deradicalization of Palestinian society is part of the same tendency to demand from others what we do not demand from ourselves, a tendency that repeatedly leads us to impasses in our relationships with others.

Understanding that both sides bear responsibility for the conflict’s resolution is crucial. We all need to undergo a process of de-radicalization, starting with the understanding that conflicts are resolved through dialogue, not more violence, and continuing with the fact that both people, leaders and citizens alike, must fight against the dehumanization of the other side.

Instead of examining only Palestinian textbooks, we must also look directly at the reality in our classrooms; instead of protesting maps that don’t mention Israel, we must also look at our own maps, where the Green Line has disappeared; instead of being shocked only by the chants of “From the river to the sea,” we must understand that there is no difference between them and the ideology of “Greater Israel”; instead of treating October 7 as the day when everything began and also ended, we must remember that from the perspective of Palestinians and most of the world, the violent conflict began much earlier, intensified due to the ongoing occupation, and continued on October 8 with relentless Israeli retaliatory action. Instead of just presenting the horrors committed against us, we must show humanity and moral resilience and resist the horrors committed in our name.

The use of military force and the threat of using force are essential conditions for security, but a society that wishes to live in security, stability, and prosperity within the family of nations cannot rely solely on its military strength. It must strive to normalize its relations with its neighbors. And to normalize our relations with the Palestinians, we must see them as human beings, people just like us, and treat them accordingly.

This piece was co-written with Ori Nir, a Washington-based journalist and former staff writer for the Israeli daily Haaretz. Ori served until 2024 as the vice president for public affairs at Americans for Peace Now.