If Israel was brought to you as a patient, what would be your diagnosis and how would you approach her cure? An interview of professor Shmuel Tyano director of the Geha Psychiatric Hospital and active member of the World Psychiatric Association by Patricia de Hemricourt. S.T.: ‘I would say that Israel is today in a state of sadness. That depressive mood does not stem from the Intifada itself. This country has been in a permanent of war since its creation, with small breaks, moments of elation at crucial times such as Sadate visit or the signing of the agreement with king Hussein of Jordan for example. But, on the whole, Israelis are used to wars, big or small, active or latent, and this Intifada has resulted in a far lower number of victims than previous conflicts. No, what brings up the depression is the economy on the one hand and, more importantly, the feeling of having reached a dead-end… One can fight, one has energy and willpower when one has an aim. Today, only a small proportion of the society has a clearly defined goal.’ P.H.: ‘What proportion?’ S.T.: ‘About 15%. Those are those that in my private terminology I call the ‘people of the earth’. People that are ready to sacrifice everything in order to appropriate the land of the forefathers, the land of History. They have a clearly defined goal and that gives them tremendous energy. As a result, they are extraordinarily efficient relatively to their numbers. The mere fact that, even in the midst of the current Intifada, the number of settlers continues to rise bears witness to their determination.’ P.H.: ‘And what about the others?’ S.T.: ‘Those I call the ‘people of society’. That is to say people who ready to let go of mythical places in order to improve the society quality of life. Those are the people who are currently undergoing a profound self-questioning process, such as has not been seen in a long time. A similar process took place in 1967. People were considering whether to occupy or not, to settle or not to settle, to govern or not, to dominate or not… Any answer to these questions was to define the identity of the country. Today, the same questions are resurfacing, in a different context. These self-questioning times are very important and I see them as positive as they are organizing moments. Times during which the country is weighing its options in order to choose the best way for herself. And, one ought to remember that in the intervening time, Israel has undergone tremendous changes.’ P.H.: ‘What changes would you identify as defining?’ S.T.: ‘As a result of the massive Russian alyah, the Russian immigrants now reach 20% of the population. Such a large-scale mono-cultural immigration induces rapid changes in the fabric of a society. In addition to that, we are witnessing today the rise of extremist religious movement, a new emerging phenomenon in Israel. These societal changes bring about an identity crisis. People begin to ask themselves more and more “Is this the society I want to live in? Is this the society I want my children to grow up in?” That, by the way, is one of the elements that explain the success of Shinui in the last elections.’ P.H.: ‘According to a poll by professor Avi Blayech published in Yedihot Aharonot last November, close to 60% of the Israelis are leaning on religion in order to cope with the constant tension brought about by the Intifada. Do you think that it might be a factor explaining the rise of religious extremism?’ S.T.: ‘No. There is an enormous difference between those I would call conservatists, who are finding solace at a virtually magic level by turning to traditional behavior - a phenomenon that might be temporary - and those returning to religion. These latter ones are returning to the religion of their ancestors. I am here referring to someone they might have known personally or know from personal accounts of family members, such as a grandfather who was a rabbi for example. Those are the ones that turn extremists. Walking in Jerusalem or Safed today, one can see how they are profoundly modifying the urban human landscape. Personally, I do not recognize the Jerusalem I used to know. And the changes are accelerating. These modifications are prompting not only questions but have now reached the point where people feel the need to react and to do something in order to stop this tendency. Hence the success of Shinui.’ P.H.: In a conversation I had with a Palestinian researcher last week, he explained the rise of fundamentalism in the Palestinian territories partly by the closure. That is prompting a return to fundamental values, in this case religion. Do you think that the feeling of ghettoisation due to the rise of anti-Semitism in the world could be a factor in the rise of extremism in Israel? S.T.: ‘ No. The societies are very different, and Israel is a multifactoriel society where every factor has to be taken into account. But, as long as you mention the Palestinian, I would like to say that, from a psychiatric point of view, there are no suicide-bombers. Those people are not committing suicide. Suicide has a specific meaning and those people are murderous bombers who are sacrificing themselves. Their act does not mean their end, but a passage to a different reality. It is a passage, not an end.” P.H.: ‘And how to you see the situation evolving?’ S.T.: ‘I am no clairvoyant, so I will not risk myself in conjectures…’ P.H.: ‘So, as a psychiatrist, maybe you could advise a treatment?’ S.T.: ‘If I was to treat Israel, I would start by underlying her resilience. Compared to all the statistics regarding other countries having experienced terrorism, such as New York for example, the Israeli society is very strong. The level of people suffering from post traumatic disorder symptoms barely reaches 10%, people continues to go out, to travel by bus, to go n about their business. It seems to be immune to the paralyzing effects of stress. It is very important to draw the attention of your patient to its strength. I would then underline the positive sides of the self-questioning process I mentioned earlier. This is an organizing moment in any society and it is important to stress that factor. It has to be used to determine a direction for the society, so as the re-energize it. Especially as Israel has to realize that the large immigration waves have come to an end. The current population is going to remain more or less what it is. That is why today, the left and the right agree on the concept of the fence. Which means, when there is such a broad agreement, that the society has reached a stage where it has to defines its identity. To self-define itself. Of course, the choice of layout of the fence will define the identity of the country.

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