Prof. Yoram Yovell Says Israel Is Trapped Between Emergency and Calm

Psychiatrist Prof. Yoram Yovell warned about the continuing psychological toll on Israelis living under what he described as an endless state of emergency since the October 7 massacre. Speaking at the "State in Post-Trauma" conference hosted by ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth, in cooperation with the Histadrut labor federation, he said Israel is in a "liminal" condition, neither before nor after the crisis.

Yovell argued that this in-between state carries a heavy price. "We know how to be in emergency, and we know how to be in times of calm, but what we have now is neither emergency nor calm," he said. "You never know if it is over." He said this uncertainty makes it harder to recover or adapt.

He added that the public response is a normal reaction to an extraordinary event, and that many people are carrying genuine post-traumatic symptoms that need treatment. At the same time, he said the country has also shown significant resilience.

"The challenge is to preserve it," Yovell said, referring to that resilience.