Zionism’s exclusionary makeup has reinforced a social identity in Israel that is rooted in the degrading of Palestinians and non-Jews, writes Yoav Litvin.
( The New Arab ) – On October 7 2023, Hamas breached the 17-year-long Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip with a brutal, coordinated attack on at least seven Israeli military installations surrounded by more than 20 residential communities.
In a retaliatory frenzy, Israel unleashed a mass Hannibal directive, with tanks and gunships firing indiscriminately at both Palestinians and Israelis, foreshadowing its deliberate criminal atrocities to come.
Netanyahu’s murderous rampage, assisted by the manipulation of trauma with fabricated atrocity narratives and debunked systemic rape allegations reminiscent of Jim Crow, aligns with the Zionist ‘Greater Israel’ plans and practices of land and resource theft with as few Palestinians as possible.
In contravention of international law, Israeli genocidal expansionism knows no limits, as recently conveyed by its Finance Minister who called for Israel’s borders to extend to Damascus.
Zionist genocide functions as it always has, now supercharged by US imperial impunity. This emboldened aggression allows for shameless expansion beyond Gaza, targeting the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran, with eyes on swaths of Saudi Arabia and potentially Iraq and no signs of de-escalation in sight.
Shockingly, Israeli soldiers have documented their own war crimes, flaunting them online for “likes,” seemingly using these displays to gain attention, even from potential partners, showcasing a disturbing normalisation and sexualisation of violence.
Zionist actions reveal a chilling level of detachment, cruelty and a lack of empathy toward the Palestinian “other”.
These can be witnessed in the military through its genocidal campaign, which regularly targets women, children, peacekeepers, journalists, academics, prisoners of war and medical personnel, among others, and within Israeli society through countless examples from the past 12 months, including numerous cases of Israelis mocking Palestinians for their pain and loss.
These sectarian tendencies are intrinsic to Zionism’s core design, rooted in its origins as a reactionary movement which champions global apartheid.
From its start, Zionism relied on a manufactured social identity built on misinformation, the dehumanisation of “the other” and a commitment to expansion and dispossession.
The appeal of Zionism
In response to the wave of antisemitic violence in the late 19th century in imperial Russia, Jewish people defended themselves in several ways.
First, those with the means fled to Western Europe, the Americas, Australia and other locations. Second, many chose avoidance, further self-segregating within Jewish communities or shtetls. Third, a minority opted for defensive aggression, organising self-defence units to repel antisemitic attacks.
Zionism emerged during a time marked by the rise of European colonial and nationalist movements, particularly in reaction to the restrictive “May Laws” governing land ownership in Jewish communities within the Russian Empire.
Like other fascist movements, Zionism offered a romantic vision of heroism and valorisation of violence, in its case, through the construct of the ‘new Jew.’
This narrative adopted the antisemitic notion that Jews were responsible for their own suffering, promoting segregation and land acquisition in a new homeland as the solution.
“Slouching toward Jerusalem,” Digital, Midjourney / Clip2Comic, 2024.
The allure of Zionism for Jewish people lay in its promise of social cohesion and the narrative of “safety” through land acquisition and segregation, at a time when they faced restricted rights to own land and their social structure was under siege.
This period signified the moment when Jewish Zionists began viewing themselves as a distinct marauding group of colonists.
Zionist Partisan Identity
Zionist ideology and its associated propaganda offer rewards of sociality, resources and empowerment, making it particularly attractive to alienated people in a capitalist society that victimises them.
However, it conditions the reward on alternative truth, sectarianism and additional white supremacist, colonial constructs.
The Identity-Based Model of Belief explains how social identity, particularly partisan identity, influences individuals’ beliefs and behaviours.
It suggests that people are more likely to align their beliefs with their party or social group than with facts, prioritising identity over accuracy when processing information and frequently sharing negative misinformation about out-groups.
This model highlights the tension between social identity and factual accuracy in addressing misinformation. Research has even shown that perceiving others as part of one’s group activates the brain’s reward system, fostering loyalty and preference.
Partisan identities, like all identities, involve cognitive elements (self-perception, beliefs, shared experiences, social norms) and motivational factors (belonging, distinctiveness, status) that shape beliefs and behaviours.
When identity goals, such as belonging, outweigh accuracy goals, individuals are more likely to adopt their group’s views over factual information and in-group norms often dictate the acceptability of spreading false or dubious claims.
While these dynamics help individuals fit in and strengthen group cohesion, they can also lead partisans to believe and disseminate misinformation. When enough partisans spread false content, it becomes difficult for citizens to form accurate beliefs, undermining a shared sense of reality and consensus.
Reprinted from The New Arab with the author’s permission.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of Informed Comment.