On the Israel IndyMedia site : On Fear and Honor in the Conflict by Dr. Marwan Dwairy, Psychologist
A few quotes :
Among Israelis and Palestinians, there is a broad public articulating positions that are anti-human. Jews call for “Death to the Arabs!” and Palestinians celebrate suicide attacks on Israeli civilians. Beyond the condemnation of these phenomena and the legal action that may be taken to address them, an effort to understand the psychological dynamics behind such attitudes is also important ... On the Jewish side, there is a public that fears for its very existence; on the Palestinian side, there is a public whose freedom, honor and dignity have been trampled on ... They must understand that the anxiety is real and that providing security for Jews in Israel is a Palestinian interest ... a space which is promptly seized by the ideological right wing on the Jewish side, who proceed to fill that vacuum with assessments of hostile Palestinian intentions that are threatening to the Jews – in order to recruit support among a broader segment of the fearful Jewish public ... this mindset that enables the Israeli occupation to be ignored rather than recognized as the central factor in the continuation of the conflict ... The right wing is interested in avoiding the negotiating table in order to continue with the occupation and the settlements. It makes cynical use of suicide attacks to justify its goals and proceed with their implementation. Otherwise, what explanation is there for a siege on Arafat but not on Sheikh Yassin, for instance, who has announced unequivocally that he is responsible for suicide attacks? The ideological right under Sharon’s leadership has not been able to bring security but has certainly managed to distance itself from any negotiation that would compel a withdrawal and the dismantling of the settlements ... There are a great many words in Arabic that mean “honor,” depending on the context (sharaf, karaameh, a’ardh). Honor, in Arab culture, is linked to (among other things) two principal subjects: the land, and the honor of the family. In Arabic, we say “Al ardh hiye al a’ardh” (land is honor). When land is taken away, honor is trampled underfoot and there is a greater willingness to die in order that honor be restored. In recent years, we have seen an increasing severity of humiliation. Israel’s consistent opposition to a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, comprising only 22% of Mandatory Palestine, followed by long-term closure and starvation, the siege on the elected president of the Palestinian people, and attacks with tanks and aircraft on Palestinian cities and villages – all these and a great many more Israeli actions have completely crushed Palestinian honor, and it is this which underlies the willingness of so many to sacrifice themselve s."