The Impact of the Wars of June 1967 and October 1973 on Contemporary Hebrew Poetry

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the impact of the June 1967 and October 1973 Wars on Zionists’ racist attitude towards Arabs. It also aims to suggest that Hebrew literature, especially poetry, is one of the most important methods that has been consistently used by the Zionist movement in fulfilling its project.
 Methods: The study adopts the textual analysis approach to literature and poetry through employing close reading.
 Results: The two wars deeply affected Israeli society and literature, reinforcing the prevalent racist attitude towards Arabs among the members of that society. Indeed, the poems written by pro-Zionist poets were based on a racist ideology. However, Hebrew writing often captured the mood of Israeli society, which was mostly characterized by fear and confusion, in the aftermath of the wars. In fact, Hebrew literature increasingly reflected this state of affairs after the October 1973 War. All Israeli sectors were experiencing a state of confusion after the 1973 war, an idea which was underpinned by the belief that those who are confused cannot lead, a belief which affected Zionists’ treatment of Arabs.
 Conclusions: The study concludes that literature played a major role in Israeli society, especially during and after the two wars. More specifically, poetry played an effective role in shaping people’s ideas, tendencies, decisions, and political choices, especially during the elections. The study also concludes that racism and hostility towards Arabs explicitly prevailed in Hebrew literature after the two wars.