NWe, psychologists and neurobiologists around the world, call on the international community to urgently press for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, to demand that the Israeli government respect international humanitarian law and end the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, to demand from Hamas and Israel the release of all hostages and unduly imprisoned civilians.
The parties involved are locked in a vicious cycle of violence against civilians that existentially threatens the potential of these peoples to coexist in the long term. This has led not only to irreparable damage to the Palestinian people, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) highlighted in January, but also to a dangerous trajectory adopted by the current Israeli government, which affects the possibilities for its own people to live in long-term security in this region of the world.
Human psychology is such that we tend to exaggerate our perception of the differences between social groups, between “them” and “us”, particularly in cases of conflict. But we also have a propensity for empathy, cooperation, curiosity and open-mindedness towards others. This allows for a balance between the preservation of the culture specific to each group and the mutual enrichment between groups through the exchange of scientific ideas, arts and technologies. Positively, studies show that the vast majority of humans can express empathy toward people from other groups or cultures.
Power asymmetry
Unfortunately, in all human societies there are people for whom the difference between “us” and “them” is so strong that they tend to dehumanize others. And a minority of extremists can take this feeling so far that they are ready to exterminate others, thinking that it may be in the interest of their own group.
However, we have the ability to reason to overcome what divides us, and, in the past, even prolonged and bitter conflicts have ended in compromise and peace. Human beings have an immense capacity for transformation and reconciliation. But the violence must stop before the healing process can begin.
When decades of war have led so many people to lose loved ones, feel helpless and threatened, the capacity to feel empathy towards another erodes. This makes it easier for groups with extremist ideas to come to power. In the absence of international pressure, they feel stronger and carry out their murderous intentions, leading to a spiral of hatred, violence and resentment. It is a self-perpetuating process that takes us further and further away from justice and peace.
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