Joel Kovel 1936-2018

"The elements of bad conscience are played out across various dimensions, especially that of guilt, the feelings of which become intolerable to the degree it is fed by archaic streams of hatred and revenge. The resulting feelings become projected and turn into the blaming of others - whether these be expropriated Palestinians or critics of Israel, who become either antisemites or that curious entity, the 'self-hating Jew.'.. The rising of the Jewish state transformed a normally harsh conscience into a full-blown bad conscience.. Thus what is 'bad' about the bad conscience is the walling off within, the splitting introduced by the irreconcilability of a collective will whose guiding principle had once been ethical superiority and is now shaped by an aggressive, militarized and vindictive state.

"It is an essential feature of bad conscience to drive toward greater transgression. We have observed that recognition of common humanity and acceptance of moral responsibility leads to reconciliation and forgiveness. However, the bad conscience of Zionism moves in the opposite direction, to join the cycle of violence that stains human history.."

- Overcoming Zionism, 2007, 158-159