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Resilience and Distress: Israelis Respond to the Disengagement from Gaza and the Second Lebanese War

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Abstract

Resilience and distress in Israeli society were assessed at three points in time: before and after the Israeli disengagement from Gaza, and after the second Lebanese war. A random sample of 366 Israelis was assessed for nation-related anxiety and hostility, personal resources and post-traumatic symptoms. The lowest levels of anxiety were observed at the second time point, after the disengagement. Respondents with high-resilience profiles showed lower levels of post-traumatic symptoms and higher levels of personal resources. The findings underscore Israelis’ resilience and the importance of personal resources in ongoing nationally stressful situations.

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Notes

  1. The incident that triggered the second Lebanese war was the killing of eight Israeli soldiers on Israeli soil and the abduction of two others by Hezbollah (a guerilla organization operating in Lebanon along Israel's northern border). Resolving to free the captive soldiers and remove Hezbollah from the border, the Israeli government ordered the army to invade Southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah units and headquarters as well as the Beirut airport, and imposing an air and naval blockade. During the war, which lasted about a month (July 12–August 14, 2006), 121 Israeli soldiers were killed and 450 were wounded. Hezbollah launched over 4,000 missiles at Israeli towns and densely population areas, killing 43 civilians. Some of the missiles reached Haifa, Israel's major northern city, located about 120 km (72 miles) from the Lebanese border. On the Hezbollah side, over 600 fighters were killed and the organization's infrastructures were severely damaged. Buildings suspected of housing Hezbollah were destroyed and 1,000 Lebanese civilians were killed (MFA July 2009).

  2. Following the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the Israeli government allowed Israelis to settle in the occupied territories, namely the Golan Heights, Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. The Sinai Peninsula was evacuated in 1982 after a peace treaty was signed with Egypt. In October 2004, the Israeli government decided to disengage from the Gaza Strip and dismantle the settlements there, along with a small number of settlements in northern Samaria. This decision evoked protest and demonstrations by the settlers and their supporters, alongside demonstrations by supporters of the plan. Ultimately, the disengagement involved the forced uprooting in August 2005 of all the Israeli residents in Gaza—approximately 8,000 adults and children, who were compelled against their will (some forcefully) to leave their homes, communities and established local organizations permanently (MFA July 2005).

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  1. School of Social Work, University of Haifa, 31905, Haifa, Israel

    Hasida Ben-Zur & Ora Gilbar

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  1. Hasida Ben-Zur
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  2. Ora Gilbar
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Correspondence to Hasida Ben-Zur.

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Ben-Zur, H., Gilbar, O. Resilience and Distress: Israelis Respond to the Disengagement from Gaza and the Second Lebanese War. Community Ment Health J 47, 551–559 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-011-9371-3

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