Ofri Ilany argues that suppressed guilt over the devastation in Gaza haunts Israeli society, surfacing through denial, victimhood, and unconscious defense mechanisms. (Reuters/Mahmoud Issa)
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In a Haaretz opinion piece, Ofri Ilany explores the psychological toll of Israel’s war in Gaza, describing a personal encounter with a friend that devolved into argument — rooted, Ilany believes, in suppressed collective guilt over the ongoing destruction in Gaza.
Though not discussed directly, he argues, that guilt manifests in defense mechanisms like self-glorification and victimhood.
Drawing on psychoanalytic theory and historical parallels — from postwar Germany to modern Japan — Ilany suggests that Israeli society is entering a state of moral denial similar to other nations after committing atrocities.
Despite the near-100,000 reported deaths in Gaza, Israeli media and public sentiment remain entrenched in national righteousness.
Ilany warns that this denial may shatter over time, but for now, only a few — traumatized soldiers and critical artists — are likely to confront it.
With horrors ongoing, he concludes, true reckoning remains distant. “How will we pay for our crimes,” he asks, “and will we ever live a human life?”
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