The awkward silence of Israelis on holiday in Greece

The encounter with two Israeli couples during a summer vacation exposed a stark reality: the profound disconnect between personal warmth and the entrenched narratives of conflict. Over three evenings, the initial polite avoidance of politics dissolved into unsolicited confessions. One couple, whose son serves in the IDF, insisted that nothing is happening in Gaza, citing casualty figures dismissed by their government as fabricated. Their perspective, shaped by insular, ethnically homogenous communities, mirrored a deep-seated fear that all Palestinians—and Arabs at large—are driven by an existential desire for their destruction.

While these individuals expressed genuine shame regarding right-wing ministers like Bezalel Smotrich and Itmar Ben-Gvir, the cognitive dissonance remained sharp. The mother’s distress at the mention of Ben-Gvir’s inflammatory rhetoric coexisted with a protective denial regarding her own son’s involvement in the military operations. This internal conflict highlights a self-feeding loop: extremist leaders rely on a narrative of global isolation to ensure their citizens feel loathed by the outside world. By fostering a sense of perpetual victimhood, they encourage their people to rally around the flag rather than confront the perspectives of those who witness their nation's actions from afar.