Gaza: Another Psychoanalytic Perspective. Reflection on the Work of Shmuel Erlich*

This paper offers a psychoanalytic reflection on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, prompted by Shmuel Erlich’s recent contribution to The International Journal of Psychoanalysis. While Erlich argues that psychoanalysis is relevant only to the study of contemporary antisemitism and not to the conflict itself, the author contends that psychoanalytic thought remains essential for understanding the unconscious group dynamics that sustain war and collective violence. Drawing on Klein, Bion, Segal and Fornari, the paper explores the oscillation between paranoid–schizoid and depressive modes of functioning, the activation of psychotic defences in situations of catastrophe, and the failure to contain guilt and mourning. These dynamics, although shared by both sides of the conflict, have produced tragically disproportionate consequences, particularly for the Palestinian population. The paper also reconsiders Erlich’s reading of antisemitism, its moral implications, and the ethical responsibility of psychoanalysts to resist collective denial and illuminate the unconscious forces that underpin violence and silence. In the spirit of Hanna Segal’s call to speak out, it argues that silence in the face of human suffering constitutes a moral failure that psychoanalysis cannot afford.