Israeli war veterans’ memory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to explore, for the first time over a long period of time, the autobiographical memory of Israeli veterans of the 1948 War, pertaining to the 1948 Palestinian exodus that led to the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem. Does this memory include the Zionist narrative (i.e. willing flight of the Palestinian refugees) or a critical narrative (i.e. willing flight and expulsion)? One of the primary sources to influence the collective memory of conflicts is the autobiographical memory. This memory is also one of the primary sources for research of the past. Thus, autobiographical memory is of importance. Design/methodology/approach Methodologically, this is done through an analysis of all 1948 veterans’ memoirs published between 1949 and 2004. Interviews were also conducted with various veterans, to understand the dynamics of their memoir publication. Findings Empirical findings suggest that during the first period (1949-1968), this memory was exclusively Zionist; during the second (1969-1978), it became slightly critical; and during the third (1979-2004), the critical tendency became more prevalent. Onward, the nine empirical causes for the presentation of exodus the way it was presented are discussed. Theoretical findings relate, inter alia, to the importance of micro factors in shaping the autobiographical memory, assembles seven such theoretical factors, suggests that these factors can influence in two ways (promoting collective memory change or inhibiting it), and that their impact can change over time. Originality/value Taken together, the paper contributes empirical and theoretical findings that are based on a solid and wide scope research.

Autobiographical memory of war veterans: A mixed-studies systematic review

“…Veterans belonging to a certain political party or adhering to a specific ideology often recall in a way that does not conflict with their political or ideological stance. This phenomenon has been observed in at least seven studies (Ben-Ze’ev and Lomsky-Feder, 2009; Campos, 2008; Coleman and Podolskij, 2007; Dwyer, 2011; Galmarini, 2014; Nets-Zehngut, 2017; Nguyen, 2013). The impact of Communist ideology is evident in the memories of Soviet veterans.…”

“…The impact of Communist ideology is evident in the memories of Soviet veterans. Studying all the published memoirs of Israeli war veterans from 1949 to 2004, Nets-Zehngut (2017) observed thatSome war veterans, especially leading into the 1970s, were highly influenced by the Zionist ideology and thus were very biased in their approach toward the conflict, including the exodus. Therefore, they were inclined to see Israel as just and moral in its conduct, blind to the Critical narrative of the exodus.…”

“…Besides generational identity, with age, veterans felt a sense of urgency to express their life stories, often overcoming the so-called hegemonic censorship. As observed in Israeli veterans’ memory of Israel–Palestine 1948 war, some veterans decided to write their memoirs because they felt compelled to tell their life experiences, as they aged (Nets-Zehngut, 2017).…”

“…The current review illustrates that different theoretical accounts have been used to explain different features of veterans’ AM. Qualitative studies, for instance, interpreted memories as a narrative development process, meaning veterans’ memories, particularly the traumatic ones, are constantly in the process of meaning-making (Briggs, 2016; Burnell et al, 2009; Nets-Zehngut, 2017; Parr, 2007). This could lead to different mental health outcomes depending on the success of the meaning-making process.…”

Collective memory of conflict is not all about politics—The Israeli case: Empirical, theoretical, and practical aspects

“…This is first‐hand evidence (one of the two main primary sources about the past, in addition to documents) that if publicized, may influence the collective memory of a country in a more critical direction. This critical impact is an outcome of the fact that often people with autobiographical memories tend to hold less biased and more critical historical narratives of a conflict they have been involved in, compared to the more biased (Zionist, in the Israeli‐Jewish case) narratives adopted by the official and historical memories (Nets‐Zehngut, —about the Palestinian autobiographical memory of the 1948 Palestinian exodus; Nets‐Zehngut, —about the Israeli‐Jewish autobiographical memory of that exodus). However, some of the apolitical factors discussed above (see Table ) inhibit the public exposure of these more critical narratives via autobiographical memory: We have seen that war veterans “lack the time to write memoirs in the middle of their lives,” “lack the motivation to write memoirs in the middle of their life,” and suffer from “ psychological difficulties in writing memoirs.” In other words, there are various constraints that inhibit the publication of the testimonials/memoirs of the holders of the autobiographical memory, thereby preventing their (often) more critical impact on the rival parties.…”