Ideological Delinquency: Gender Differences Among Israeli Youth During the Withdrawal From the Gaza Strip

Abstract

This study aims to examine the factors that channel boys and girls toward committing illegal activity. The measures examined include social control factors (belief, commitment, attachment, and involvement) and ideological religious worldviews. The study examines 262 Israeli adolescents who have taken part in illegal and legal activities during the resistance to the Gaza evacuation. Findings suggest that illegal activity levels are greater among boys than girls, whereas ideological obligation and commitment are greater among girls than boys. Involvement with friends positively predicts ideological obligation among boys, which in turn is related to increased likelihood of illegal activity. Among girls, lower commitment and lower belief as well as greater ideological obligation are predictive of illegal activity.

Does Fear of Terrorism Differ From Fear of Crime and Sexual Assault: A Question of Geographical Location and Residential Area

“…Notably, the self-reports are in line with objective data, as Judea and Samaria residents have been exposed to security threats on a daily basis for many years and are located in close proximity to Arab villages (e.g., Shechory & Laufer, 2011). A possible explanation may be related to residents’ habituation to terrorist threats.…”

“…From an ideological-religious perspective, most of the residents of this area view the need to maintain a footing in all parts of the Promised Land as a religious obligation, and this group is committed to right-wing ideologies that regard the retention of Judea and Samaria as part of the State of Israel as a means of defending Israel’s security (Shechory & Laufer, 2008, 2011). Perhaps their ideological perceptions that matches their religious views regarding their place of residence (Israel, Land of the Fathers) serve as a buffer against the fear of living in areas where there is a real danger of terrorist attacks (Kaplan, Matar, Kamin, Sadan, & Cohen, 2005; Shechory & Laufer, 2008, 2011). The negative coefficient found among participants between degree of religiosity and fear of terrorism may support this assumption regarding the role of the ideological-religious perception.…”

“…The region most exposed to the threat of terrorism is Judea and Samaria (Shechory & Laufer, 2008, 2011). One of the reasons is that these areas are recognized as a conflict zone in which all settlements are in the vicinity of many Arab villages.…”

PTSD and PTG among Israeli mothers: Opposite facets of exposure to terrorism

“…Over the years, mostly following the disengagement from Gaza (a unilateral decision made by the Israeli government in 2005 to remove all Jewish settlements and the Israel Defense Forces from the Gaza Strip; Shechory & Laufer, ), large civilian populations in southwestern Israel and the Gaza Strip have been exposed to recurrent bouts of missile fire across the Gaza–Israel border (Besser et al, ; Shechory Bitton, ). Most were exposed to acts of terrorism, both directly and indirectly through the injury or death of friends, family, or neighbors, and ceaseless media coverage of the attacks.…”

An Israeli Model for Predicting Fear of Terrorism Based on Community and Individual Factors

“…Since the Second Intifada began in September 2000, Israelis have endured waves of unprecedented terror, with hundreds of civilian casualties and thousands wounded. This exposure intensified after the 2005 disengagement from Gaza (Shechory & Laufer, 2011) and reached new heights in the summer of 2014. Terrorism is now more or less routine in much of Israel and security threats are part of daily life (Bensimon, Solomon, & Horesh, 2013; Shechory-Bitton, 2013).…”