It has now been over one year since October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israel, killing approximately 1200 Israelis and taking roughly 200 Israelis hostage. In response, Israel has undertaken a campaign that has led to approximately 41,000 Palestinian deaths and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza; Israel recently expanded the conflict to include operations in the West Bank, Libya, and Syria, all within the context of a larger conflict with Iran.

When discussing this conflict, there are three dominant perspectives:

1. There are those who argue that Israel is an apartheid state committing ethnic cleansing and genocide.

2. There are those who argue that Israel has the right to self-determination and self-defense and that their actions since October 7 are completely justified.

3. And there are those who sit somewhere in the middle, torn between injustices being done to the Palestinian people and a firm belief in Israel’s right to exist.

Wherever you sit, it is clear that the situation on the ground has become more dire and that a resolution seems farther away than it did a year ago.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and its expansion to other parts of the Middle East, is likely impacting how people show up in the workplace and how they interact with their colleagues.

It is critical for organizations to step up and ensure the well-being of their team members by talking about the issues that matter to them, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here are some recommendations for how to talk about it:

• Remind everyone that each person has the right to their personal beliefs

• Set clear behavioral expectations for discussions, including a focus on respect and empathy

• Acknowledge the nuance and complexity of the situation and how deeply painful this conflict is for so many

• Focus on sharing perspectives and fostering dialogue, not making arguments and scoring points

• Ground everyone in facts and be aware of subjective language that can hinder dialogue

  • This includes language like terrorism, apartheid state, genocide, and ethnic cleansing - while it is okay for people to share their perspective using these words, it can be helpful to encourage everyone to recognize the subjective nature of these terms

• Distinguish between personal opinions and organizational positions

• Create spaces specifically for discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

• Offer ongoing support via ERGs, HR, smaller group employee support mechanisms, or an EAP partner

• Identify multiple ways for employees to reach out to leaders with questions, concerns or requests for support

• Avoid delegitimizing language

  • An example of this is describing Hamas’s actions as terrorism and Israel’s actions as military operations - these are subjective and based on perspectives of the legitimacy of Hamas and Israel as actors in this conflict

• Remind everyone that harassment is unacceptable and call out instances of islamophobia and antisemitism

  • This includes equating all Muslims and Arabs with Palestine and all Jews with Israel

As I wrote in November of last year, many organizations have learned the hard way that not saying anything in times of conflict and trauma alienates and creates distrust among employees and partners. Lean into empathy, focus on providing safe spaces and support, and listen to what your employees tell you they need.

photo credit: Hatem Khaled

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