Israel remains under constant rocket fire, still reeling from the trauma of October 7. Here are the five primary challenges challenges Israel faces, one month into the war with Hamas.
Five Challenges Israel Faces: Diplomatic Support is Weakening
The day following Hamas’s infiltration into Israel and the tragic loss of 1,400 civilian lives, politicians from across the Western world expressed their condemnation. They vowed unwavering support for the State of Israel. But 30 days later, as Israel continues to strike Hamas, killing thousands of civilians, the field has grown quieter.
Most leaders who visited Israel during this period have returned to their respective countries and have yet to revisit. US President Joe Biden, the first to condemn the tragedy, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have initiated discussions on “humanitarian pauses,” a stance that runs counter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position.This shift in approach is influenced by mounting pressure from Muslim American voters who have expressed their intention to abstain from voting in the 2024 elections due to the president’s strong support for Israel following the tragedy.
Antisemitism On The Rise
Since the massacre, there has been an unprecedented 1,200% increase in online calls for violence against Israel, Zionists, and Jews, according to a report released last month by the Antisemitism Cyber Monitoring System (ACMS).A rabbi was murdered in front of her home in Detroit. A Jewish woman was stabbed in France – a swastika painted on her door. And a mob looking for Jews stormed a Russian airport. Now, Israel has warned its citizens against traveling abroad.
Collective Trauma
Even before Hamas infiltrated Israel, a study published in International Psychiatry found that as much as 27% of Jewish Israeli children in some areas of the country had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. A 2021 study by Tel Aviv University and the Academic and Technology College of Tel-Hai showed that the level of personal resilience among citizens consistently decreased throughout the COVID pandemic and has continued to decrease – most significantly during Operation Guardian of the Walls, the 2021 Israel-Hamas conflict.
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