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Paper short abstract

Exploring narratives of Jewish radical-left dissidents, who left Israel and the struggle out of despair, this paper aims to show the merits of despair. Contrary to the perception of despair as paralysing, the paper highlights it as a realistic appraisal of the political conditions leading to action.

Paper long abstract

“The bad guys won,” posted a devoted radical left activist when a Palestinian community in the West Bank, with which she worked, left their homes following a series of violent Jewish settlers’ attacks. This perception of defeat was prevalent in narratives of Jewish radical-left activists I interviewed, who, after years of activism, lost hope of changing the Israeli regime and left Palestine/Israel and the struggle on the grounds.

In the literature, hope is mainly associated with envisioning a better future and the ability to work towards it, whereas despair is associated with fear and paralysis. Exploring the narratives of Jewish radical-left dissidents, the reasons for their despair, and its consequences, this paper aims to show the merits of despair. In these narratives, despair is not depicted as a negative emotion but as a realistic appraisal of the political conditions. Indeed, despair is accompanied by feelings such as disappointment, sorrow, or distress, but it does not result in paralysis. On the contrary, it results in action. This action, in some cases, displaces the struggle to another arena, and in others, leads to the abandonment of activism altogether. However, it is an action, it is political, and it raises questions regarding the importance attributed to hope.