Israel's 'Samson syndrome' in Gaza

In the 12^th century BC, the Philistines, a people who probably arrived by sea, established a federation of five cities on the south of the Levantine coast. In addition to Gaza, this federation, known as Philistia, included the cities (now in Israel) of Ashdod, Gath, Ekron and Ashkelon.

The recurring clashes between the Philistines and the inland Jewish tribes, particularly over access to the sea, gave rise to the Biblical story of Samson, who is said to have derived his Herculean strength from his uncut hair. Shorn by the treacherous Delilah and handed over to the Philistines, Samson, his eyes gouged out by his captors, was condemned to turn a millstone in Gaza forever.

But, unbeknownst to his captors, his hair grew back day by day, restoring his strength. Dragged to a pagan temple to entertain the local dignitaries, Samson braced himself against the building's columns, causing it to collapse as he perished along with his enemies.

Netanyahu as 'blind' as Samson

The myth of Samson inspired numerous literary and artistic creations. The Roman Empire, after crushing the Jewish revolt in 135, decided to change the name of the province of Judea to Palestine, echoing the ancient Philistia. The territory would be referred to as Palestine for almost two millennia, until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

Israeli generals would eventually give the name "Samson" (Shimshon in Hebrew) to air transport squadrons or commando units tasked with infiltrating Gaza. The "Samson Option" became the name for the possibility of Israel's using its nuclear arsenal, of which the development, with technology transfers from France, is an open secret. But now it is precisely against the "Samson syndrome" that Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari is warning his compatriots – and, indeed, the entire Jewish people.

The world-famous author of Sapiens and Homo Deus accuses Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of "endangering Israel's survival" by pursuing "blind revenge" against Gaza: "Like the eyeless Samson in the biblical Book of Judges, Netanyahu chose to collapse the roofs of Gaza on everyone's heads – Palestinians and Israelis – just to exact revenge."

Harari stresses that legitimate reprisals against Hamas and operations to free the hostages should only have been carried out in strict compliance with international law and in consultation with Palestinian forces and Arab regimes also opposed to Hamas. In his opinion, nothing justifies "killing so many innocent civilians" and "starving the civilian population" in Gaza.

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