One occupation – two realities: Psychosocial mechanisms that make genocidal acts possible
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/torture.v35i2.159983Keywords:
Israel, Genocide, Palestine, Psychosocial mechanismAbstract
Introduction: This editorial introduces a Special Section on Israel and the Palestinian Occupation, framing the occupation as a coercive environment sustained by state policies and reinforced by broad public endorsement. It contrasts Israeli security narratives with Palestinian realities of siege, displacement, and mass violence. A review of United Nations reports, alongside analyses by Israeli and international NGOs, reveals a broad consensus that current policies amount to unfolding genocidal practices
Materials and methods: Evidence is synthesized from survivor testimonies, forensic and clinical reports, legal analyses, NGO and UN documentation, and a review of Israeli public-opinion surveys (2023–2025) addressing support for hard policies.
Results: There is extensive documentation of the massive harm inflicted on the population of Gaza, with consequences likely to cause permanent damage across generations. Opinion polls reveal striking levels of support among Jewish Israelis for extreme measures: in July 2025, 79% reported being “not troubled” by famine in Gaza; a June 2025 aChord survey found 64% agreed that there are “no innocents” in Gaza; 68% opposed humanitarian aid; and between 60–74% supported the forced exile of all Gazans. Tolerance for torture has also increased. These attitudes, which foster an environment for the escalation of the unfolding genocide, align with at least twenty reinforcing mechanisms analyzed in the editorial—ranging from fear and rage after the October 7 attacks and subsequent Hamas actions, to exclusive victimhood narratives, systematic dehumanization, lawfare strategies, media polarization, and strategic-political incentives that normalize genocidal policies.
Conclusion: The alignment of state policies, public endorsement, and psychosocial mechanisms fosters conditions for genocide. Preventing its continuation requires confronting the social drivers of atrocity—an imperative that falls to international actors, but above all to Israeli institutions and citizens committed to a peace grounded in justice and reparation.
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