Israelis repeating Holocaust traumas upon the Palestinians

“The Holocaust has left Jews so scarred we believe powerlessness is a sin. We feel the whole world is hostile to us. This is sick behavior. Our political agenda is irrational because of the Holocaust. Our Jewish state has been implemented at the expense of the Palestinians (partly) because spiritual Zionism changed to statehood after the Nazi persecution. Our agenda is corrupt because we’re not permitting the Palestinians to reunify. We Jews feel guilt toward the Palestinians and we’re unwilling to have a dialogue with them because it will be so unpleasant.”

An Israeli psychiatrist, who wished to remain anonymous, warned me that “It is very dangerous to suggest that our people in government still suffer from the Holocaust. They are our government, our leaders—they cannot be crazy.” Pressed as to whether these leaders “suffer from PTSD,” he responded, “Holocaust survivors do not suffer from PTSD. But they have similar symptoms.”