Community and national resilience and their predictors in face of terror

The present study was conducted following a recent military clash between the Israeli Defense Forces and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization in Gaza Strip (17-18 November). A random internet sample of 508 residents of the southern area (Gaza Envelope) was employed to determine the impact of this extreme experience on their community and national resilience. The findings were compared with a previous study that was conducted among a national sample. Results indicated that the average community resilience of the southern participants was significantly higher compared to the national sample, while the national resilience of the present sample was significantly lower compared with the national sample. Unexpectedly, feelings of danger were found to be associated with higher community resilience. Psychological variables predicted both community and national resilience better than the demographic variables of the participants.