Children in Focus: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’s Toll on Youth
When I last visited Israel over ten years ago, I was struck by the sense of hope and optimism that surged through the region’s youngest generation As an Ambassador for Tolerance, I interacted with both Israeli and Palestinian high school youth and examined relations between Jews and non-Jews as well as between members of Israel’s various social strata. The kids I spoke with exhibited a resiliency that was inspiring, talked openly about confronting stereotypes, and were excited about the prospects for future peace.
But, after ten years of conflict, there are signs that public opinion among Israeli and Palestinian youngsters is changing. The seemingly despondent and intractable nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appears to be permeating the ranks of the future leaders of the region. An enthusiasm for peace may be giving way to hardened positions, increased nationalism, and widespread distrust. This trend is troubling not least because today’s high school seniors will be tomorrow’s generals and prime ministers. All of this paints a dreary picture for a region that has been plagued by violence and bloodshed for far too long.
The human toll of the conflict is tragic. Between the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada, or “uprising,” at the end of September 2000– which marked the beginning of the most recent upsurge in violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – and December 2008, at least 954 Palestinian and 123 Israeli children under the age of 18 have been killed, according to B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights monitoring group.
While these numbers are often the focus of debate by the global press, the influence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on perspectives and perceptions of youth in the Middle East is not often discussed. Although the psychological and mental health impact of this specific violence in children is difficult to quantify, more generally, social psychologists have noted that traumatic experiences in childhood can have a severe and long-lasting effect. Children who have been traumatized see the world as a frightening and dangerous place. When childhood trauma is not resolved, this fundamental sense of fear and helplessness carries over into adulthood, setting the stage for further trauma. Several recent polls on perceptions of equal rights and youth voting patterns reveal important trends concerning the attitudes and opinions of children in the region which might have a bearing on the future groundwork for peace.
For a liberal democracy such as Israel where features of a robust civil society are engrained in the very fabric of the nation, negative perceptions of civil rights are notable. In a recent article in the New York Review of Books, Peter Beinart highlighted a poll which found that 56 percent of Jewish Israeli high school students—and more than 80 percent of religious Jewish high school students—would deny Israeli Arabs the right to be elected to the Knesset. An education ministry official called the survey “a huge warning signal in light of the strengthening trends of extremist views among the youth.” Similarly, another recent poll published by Ynet news showed that 46% of Jewish high school students in Israel object to granting equal rights to Arabs.
These statistics leave little doubt that the duration and severity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict not only scars the memories of the region’s youngest inhabitants but also influences their societal perceptions. Professor Shifra Sagy, head of the conflict management and resolution program at Ben Gurion University noted in ynetnews that “The youth here is brought up on patriotism and the justness of our cause at any cost, and from here stems the lack of willingness to justify anyone else, and the one-sided approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
There are a number of possible explanations for these numbers. Some blame the influence of mandatory military service on the views of Israeli youth. Early exposure to combat, violence and conflict may tend to dehumanize the perceived adversary and harden negative feelings. Others point to the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead as responsible for the recent rise in negative attitudes. Whatever the cause, there is evidence that these attitudes are manifesting themselves at the polling booth.
The Smith Institute also conducted a poll recently for Ynet news which showed that while 35% of Israelis over the age of 30 said they would vote for right-wing parties, this number almost doubled for youths up to the age of 29, and stood at 61%. Benjamin Netanyahu, the current prime minister of Israel who leads the right-leaning Likud party has tended to take a less conciliatory approach to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and has staked out positions on settlement construction and the future status of Jerusalem, for example, which many neutral observers believe create encumbrances to a comprehensive solution in the region.
Taken together, these polls paint a picture of a younger generation in Israel that views Palestinians less favorably and supports elected officials who take a tougher stance on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
What does this mean for an international community which has long sought a resolution to the conflict in the Middle East? Although the fundamental political issues can only be resolved by the parties to the conflict, widespread efforts to promote pluralism and tolerance will begin to lay the groundwork for a future generation that can come to the negotiating table with open hands instead of clenched fists. Groups such as Seeds of Peace which empowers young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence are needed more than ever. When mutual trust and respect are established at an early age, these bonds can last a lifetime.
Robert Friedman is the Managing Editor of Foreign Policy Digest, a non-resident Fellow at the Georgetown Center on National Security and the Law and a Principal in the Truman National Security Project.
