Academic Paper: The Israeli Social Environment of the Genocidal War on the Gaza Strip (Arabic)

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By: Ibrahim ‘Abdul Karim.
(Exclusively for al-Zaytouna Centre).

Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations has published an Arabic academic paper entitled “The Israeli Social Environment of the Genocidal War on the Gaza Strip,” by Ibrahim ‘Abdul Karim, a Palestinian researcher specializing in Israeli affairs and the Palestine issue.

The study aims to document and analyze the characteristics of Israeli society, including its trends, social and religious movements, and propaganda efforts, among others. This environment provides the necessary factors and conditions for the internal capabilities utilized in this war, in conjunction with external allied capabilities, particularly those of the US and the Western bloc.

The paper highlighted that the war waged by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip (GS) is a direct result of the Israeli settler society in Palestine. It examined the key components of this environment—human, institutional and interactive—and explored its political, economic, cultural, religious and other activities as the primary determinants of power relations in the Israeli context. This environment, it argued, serves as the ideal breeding ground for the genocidal war that the Israeli army is conducting against the Palestinians and their homeland, under the justification of “self-defense.”

The study explored how the Israeli violent upbringing shaped the environment, arguing that Israeli violence was built upon an accumulation of dehumanizing premises, isolating Jews from other human beings. The researcher highlighted the emergence of a mechanism and discourse designed to align Israeli violent upbringing with the goals of the Zionist project. This mechanism adopted a methodology that demonized Palestinians, denied their unified Arab identity, and treated them with arrogance, racial discrimination and hatred, while stigmatizing them with abhorrent labels. The Israeli discourse about Palestinians was filled with falsehoods and negative stereotypes, including claims, lies, and deliberate distortions of the truth, labeling them as absentees, retarded, goyim (gentiles), eternal enemies of the Jews, land invaders, marginalized people and greedy.

The researcher also considered the Old Testament, or “Tanakh,” as a key influence on the violent upbringing in Israeli society. It is a central reference in the education and life management of Jews, regardless of their religious, traditional, or reformist tendencies. Even secular movements find themselves inevitably within the “Tanakh circle” through various methods, such as schools, media and social activities. The researcher noted that the themes of extermination and murder cannot be overlooked, as the texts, beginning with the second book, are replete with commands and narratives that address these issues, often in response to calls from “God” or in the context of war stories.

The study highlighted rabbinic rulings as a key component of the current Israeli social environment, emphasizing their role in shaping two interconnected aspects of the genocidal equation. On one hand, these rulings are a byproduct of the violent upbringing prevalent in Israeli society; on the other, they actively contribute to intensifying racism, fascism and acts of violence against Palestinians.

The study highlighted the role of media and propaganda in both governmental and public spheres, emphasizing how the official Israeli “hasbara system” (propaganda) functioned as a tool of disinformation warfare, aiming to undermine the Palestinian and Arab narrative while promoting Israeli claims.

The paper highlighted statements made by Israeli officials and spokespersons from the army, government, and various agencies, identifying them as significant and dangerous propaganda tools with a profound impact on both domestic and international audiences. These statements, which paralleled aggressive military operations, were marked by a focus on vocabulary and imagery targeting the recipient’s deep instinctual responses. Terms such as “the war on the home,” “a war to ensure our existence,” “the existential threat to Israel,” “the war of no choice,” and “an unavoidable war imposed by Hamas” were prominently used. Additionally, the rhetoric included derogatory slurs against Palestinians, such as “murderers,” “terrorists,” “saboteurs,” “criminals,” “ISIS,” “savages,” “human animals,” and “vile enemy,” etc.

The researcher concluded that the Zionist project and the Israeli occupation of Palestine have inevitably fueled the conflict, placing Palestinians in a forced and inescapable passage within this struggle. He noted that despite the significant imbalance in physical and military power favoring Israel, surrender is not an option for Palestinians, due to both subjective and objective factors, as well as historical and current realities. However, this imbalance, coupled with the complicity of various parties, could lead to the emergence of a synthetic solution that undermines the existential struggle, pushing the Palestine issue into scenarios that are equally, if not more, painful and complex than the current situation.

The paper highlighted the importance of addressing Israel’s systematic killing of Palestinians, particularly in GS, as a means of reinforcing Palestinian memory and providing additional motivation for steadfastness and resistance against the Zionist project. It emphasized that this effort should also serve to provide international justice and public opinion with facts that expose and dismantle Israel’s baseless claims and fabrications.