"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict - its unconscious aspects"

When Montezuma, king of the Aztecs, was asked, "why he had suffered
the republic of Tlaxcala to maintain her independence on his borders",
he replied, "that she might furnish him with victims for his gods!"
(cf. Prescott, The World of the Aztecs, p.59). In the ceaseless wars
between the two states, prisoners were taken on both sides that the
angry gods may be pacified. The Tlaxcalans were later to join the
Spanish campaign under Cortez.

How does the mutual consent to war and victimization, in the
Tenoctitlan-Tlaxcalan relation, reflect on the modern
Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Is there a genuine wish for peace among
the two peoples? I suggest that, underlying the conflict, lurks the
same archaic thinking that became institutionalized in the
Mesoamerican civilizations. The status quo of mutual victimization and
scapegoating fulfils the archaic need of transferring and abolishing
one's own sins, thus to impart suffering to the other party so that
one may oneself avoid suffering.

The primitive way of thought implies that suffering, life and death,
happiness and beauty, are substantive in a metaphysical sense. In a
manner which is hard for present-day people to grasp, the Pythagoreans
thought of numbers as metaphysical entities, i.e. as "4-things" and
"5-things", etc. In the Mayan civilization the numbers were regarded
as divine entities, i.e. as gods. Archaic logic says that if the "one"
has shown up repeatedly in the latest dice throws, then the risk of
throwing a "six" is greater. The "one" has fulfilled its quota and
this particular number god is appeased. Correspondingly, if another
person is subjected to suffering and death, then the risk of "me"
coming to harm is lessened. The death god has been appeased, for
today. If you think that such archaisms find no place in modern
society, then you should make a visit to a casino.

By the theology and rituals of destruction the Aztec kept the world
alive and made sure that the sun would rise in the next morning. In
fulfilling the quota of destruction, they made sure that destruction
would not strike uncontrollably in the cosmos and in the Aztec
kingdom. The Aztec state could be perpetuated this way, underpinned by
the bones of sacrificial victims. By the efforts of sacrificial
priests the forces of destruction were kept in control.

Arguably, in the Israeli and the Palestinian collective unconscious,
an archaic thinking subsists according to which the state must be
replenished and invigorated by sacrifice, much like the Aztec temples
were built over mass graves, and inaugurated by blood sacrifice. There
is no genuine wish for piece because, similar to the
Tenoctitlan-Tlaxcalan relation, the state can only be maintained, and
its glory in the future can only be attained, by way of fulfilling the
quota of suffering and destruction. The Israeli state could not get
along without the Palestinians. They are bound to impersonate the
losers that throw a "one" so that the Israelis can throw a "six".
Psychologically, the Palestinians could not bear life without the
Jews, thanks to whom they can transfer their own faults, incompetence,
corruption and shortcomings. A people living in collective
identification, where there is no real sense of personal
responsibility, is dependent on a nation of scapegoats.

The archaic unconscious rules in the Middle East. Futile peace
initiatives will have no effect while the parties have no real wish to
make piece. That's why it's necessary to openly admit the underlying
unconscious rationale. The unconscious complex is exposed to conscious
realization. The mad thoughtway that unconsciously controls the
collective can thus be challenged.


Mats Winther

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For more on the psychology of the blood sacrifice, see my article:

"The Blood Sacrifice"

remarks on the symbolism and psychology

Abstract: Victimization as a form of sacrificial ritual is discussed.
It is understood as an inferior and archaic method of ego
emancipation. By the destructive deed original wholeness is disrupted
and transfer of sin and guilt occurs. The blood sacrifice originates
as a defense against the fear of an overwhelming unconscious. Power
over life and death is imparted to the institution of consciousness.
By that means an identification with collective consciousness is
promoted and a weak consciousness strengthened. The regressive bond to
the unconscious is temporarily severed, but the sacrifice must be
renewed. It is the real impetus behind Freud's death drive and also
the destructive narcissistic relationship.

Keywords: rite of passage, self-mutilation, primal transgression, ego
wholeness, flagellants, amputation disorder, sin transference, St
Paul, Tezcatlipoca.
http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-73784/bloodsac.htm