‘Polarisation is on the rise’
There are several different things happening because of the war between Hamas and Israel. It seems to provide fodder for all types of extremist thought, from the Extreme Right to Jihadists and to the Far Left, all being willing to gain from this.
The war deepens already existing divisions, which are then in turn being exploited by forces not in favour of democratic societies and their cohesion. There are growing tensions between people, groups and ideologies. These tensions, based mostly on alleged grievances, are re-interpreted through the lens of this war, and so the conflict is also used as a rhetorical tool by many groups to promote their own extremist agendas.
People feel they are being pushed to take sides, thus increasing polarisation. Since many perceive the situation in the Middle East to be so complex that taking sides seems impossible, this also causes discomfort and a desire to withdraw from public discussions altogether, rather than trying to have a voice. The “silent people in the middle” are being portrayed as being cowards for not taking sides. In addition, people have a sense of fatigue, as the ongoing war in Ukraine already has called for sides to be taken and has for many even meant that their personal lives have been impacted by a war, they do not perceive to be their own.
This war is revealing the already existing fault lines. For instance, anti-Semitism, which was already on the rise all over Europe, is now resulting in Jews feeling they have to hide their identity. Jewish schools and shops have been closed as a security measure, and there have been many incidents of verbal or physical violence against Jews. The media has reported of verbal violence during demonstrations, in which there have been calls for the elimination of Israel and all Jews in general.
Many immigrants of Middle Eastern origin have been at the forefront of these protests, against what they perceive as disproportionate actions by Israel. This in turn then adds to the perception of polarisation, as the extremist nationalistic groups have used the presence of Muslim immigrants in these protests and their harsh and violent tones as an excuse for Islamophobia. Also, the media reports on the kind of violence used by Hamas evoke the stories about ISIS and its methods and are being used to brand Muslims as terrorists. This again works in favour of the extremist groups pushing for white supremacist ideas.
At the time of writing of this article, the war is still going on and both sides have been accused of targeting civilians in violation of international law. People are suffering greatly on both sides. It is too early to know how long the war will go on and what its aftermath will be like. Nevertheless, here in Europe we must make sure that we as practitioners are not adding to the polarising push but are providing safe spaces for people to take the time, they need to form their own opinions, and safe spaces to voice their feelings, be they fear, anger or sorrow. We also need to make it safe to be a Jew or a Muslim, without having to be afraid of being made accused for all that the state of Israel or Hamas do. Peace will have to be upheld even here by us all.