The Inside Story Podcast Has Israeli society become conditioned to permanent war?
Apr 11, 2026
Haim Bresheeth, SOAS professor of Middle East politics; Gideon Levy, Haaretz columnist and critic of Israeli policy; Ilan Pappe, historian of Israeli history. They debate political backlash to a ceasefire, whether Israeli society normalizes perpetual war, the media’s role in jingoism, rising extremism, dehumanization of Palestinians, and if force can truly solve security threats.
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War As Political Lifeline For Netanyahu
- Israeli leaders use perpetual conflict to consolidate power and distract from domestic problems.
- Haim Bresheeth argues Netanyahu needs ongoing war to stay in power and voters see the conflict as a political tool.
Normalization Of War Creates Political Opportunity
- Many Israelis treat war as normalized opportunity rather than catastrophe, increasing public support for repeated conflicts.
- Gideon Levy says wars are seen as chances for settlers or regime change, so diplomacy loses mass appeal.
Jingoism Masks Deep Societal Divisions
- Jingoism and media-military socialization produce unity and deflect attention from internal divisions.
- Ilan Pappé links this to settler colonial ideology and the lack of critical voices connecting state ideology to ongoing violence.