"Some demographic changes have occurred in Israel and will affect the nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict during the coming generations" Professor of Political Psychology at Ain Shams University Qadri Hefni said. At a forum on the psychological and social aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict at the Supreme Council of Culture yesterday, Hefni said 68% of the Israeli population today lacks the "historical and ideological mixture" enjoyed by the "Sabra" generation, who came from around the globe. The Israelis see Israel as "the country of origin" and are linked to it on a pragmatic basis.
The current Israeli generation "lacks the ideological background which sees Israel as "the Promised Land". In addition, the "lie about Arab fear" has disappeared thanks to the peace processes that have taken place over the past centuries, Israelis' sense of stability and the growing internal conflicts. Israel used to depend on this lie to unify the Israeli society in the face of dangers coming from outside.
It is this change that pushed Israeli leaders to activate the "fear of the Arabs", which has been planned since Sharon's visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque till the air strikes on the Gaza Strip in 2009. Israeli leaders wanted to exploit Hamas' rockets to restore the unity of the Israeli public in the face of the "Arab danger". Hefni, author of "al-Tagseed al-Wahmi" [Illusionary embodiment] on Israel, has warned of the growing number of Russian Jews in Israel, as they are different from all other migrants. They refuse to intermingle in the Israeli society and adopt extreme positions against the Palestinians.
This group managed to impose itself on the Israeli political arena through "Yisrael Beiteinu" Party, which is winning one election after the other. The party's platform stresses on the necessity of totally separating the West Bank from the Gaza Strip and dealing with them as two separate entities. The party focuses on negotiating on the West Bank only and considers any agreements with the Palestinian National Authority about the Gaza Strip as non-binding for Israel, Hefni added.
