There's still not just one Israel

Many commentators  (see for example Anshel Pfeffer) have pointed out that the Israel only barely had a government enjoying democratic legitimacy before the Hamas massacres. Whatever general support Benjamin Netanyahu had enjoyed has evaporated in the horror of his government's failure to ensure basic security within the country. So, although Israelis largely feel and project unity in their Gaza campaign, underlying tensions will be exacerbated by its war.

Economic historian Adam Tooze takes a look at the contradictions within Israeli society which made the context for both Hamas's vicious 10/7 assault and underlie Israel's campaign of responsive vengeance against Palestinians. 

Glistening modern Israel. Ted Eytan

From afar, it's easy to assume that Israelis all have the same interests, but Tooze provides a more nuanced take. If he is right, there are at least three societies engaged in an internal struggle in that benighted country -- and that without even taking into account its displaced and repressed Palestinian inhabitants. This chart captures the depth of existing Israeli divides.

Click to enlarge.

Clearly, the struggle in the Middle East is about life and death in the most stark and extreme sense. In Gaza the struggle for millions of people is already one of bare life against death. In Israel, despite the existential shock of October 7, the play of political economy goes on and this reflects the fact that Israel’s economic success for the last 20 years has always stood under the sign of violence. It was built on what was obviously an illegitimate and unstable order. As one interlocutor of the Financial Times remarked:

“We built the high-tech industry during security challenges … What’s bizarre is how normal it’s become,” he said. “People realise that there is risk everywhere. It’s just a matter of mitigating it.” Even amid the turmoil, some workers in the high-tech sector are returning to work. “People will have to go — as crazy as what I’m about to say is — [back] to some normality”

The question, after October 7 and Israel’s destruction of Gaza is what that normality can possibly look like.

Tooze is relatively easy to read. In this post, he's taken up what competing outrages might gloss over. Take a look.