"Krone" interview

Violence in the Middle East: “Was I too naive? No!”

The Vice President of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Mona Khoury(Bild: Jöchl)

Professor Mona Khoury from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem has made herself an authority in Israel with her social studies. The friction between young Arabs and Jews has preoccupied her for decades. The Hamas attacks on October 7 were also a turning point for her.

Ms. Khoury, until October 7, you had a lot of hope for peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Jews.Doyou still have that hope?
The current situation makes even people like me doubt it. I now ask myself: have I been too naive in recent years?

Were you?
In the end, I always say: "No". Because if people like me lose hope now, then nothing will change. We can't give up.

The attackers and victims of the Hamas attacks were often the same age, around 20. Is this generation lost? On both sides?
First of all, we need a solution to the problem. And then it will probably take two generations for everyone to find each other again. But that first requires a solution. And that means now.

Mona Khoury at the "Krone" interview in Vienna(Bild: Jöchl)

What was the situation like at your university after the attacks? Arab, Jewish and Christian young people study there side by side.
We closed the university for more than two months and the semester only started at the end of December. That gave us plenty of time to prepare.

What did these preparations look like?
We trained our teaching staff at the faculty and offered them psychological support. Many members of staff were in a very bad mental state after the attacks, very frightened, very worried. Among the students, it was particularly the Arab girls who were easily recognizable because of their headscarves and who no longer dared to come to campus. We organized separate buses for them so that they no longer had to take public transport.

(Bild: Jöchl)

Were there any heated situations?
No, it remained calm. Completely calm. Both sides were in shock, nobody expected these attacks. Even people who were normally very outspoken remained reserved. The atmosphere was so tense that nobody wanted to appear to support Hamas by making a reckless statement.

Oskar Deutsch, the President of the Jewish Community in Vienna, said a few days ago that attacks on Jews were just the beginning, that the whole of democracy was under threat. Do you see this in your studies?
At some point, those who act violently no longer discriminate. Even in Nazi Germany, it wasn't just the Jews, it was the Roma and Sinti, political opponents. It rarely stops with one group.