It’s not hard to see why many were drawn to Zionism’s promise at the start. After so much trauma, it must have felt irresistible to be offered a flag, a uniform, and a gun—to have more choices than whether to be a target or a charity case. If I had been on one of those boats full of refugees no one wanted, would I have had the strength and forethought to resist the promise of a fortressed state of our own? I have no confidence that I could have.

XREF: Connects to broader analyses of how collective trauma renders populations vulnerable to nationalist or militarized political projects.

Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, loc. 982