But why were they even there?

Professor Guy Hochman, an expert in behavioral economics, addresses the attack at Gil'ad Farms and analyzes the phenomenon of victim blaming. He argues that the question 'why were they there?' shifts responsibility from the terrorist to the murdered person, and explains the psychological mechanism of belief in a just world. Hochman emphasizes that nothing justifies terrorism and murder, and calls for focusing on the act of terror itself rather than the reasons that led to it.

In an opinion column published on ynet, Professor Guy Hochman, an expert in behavioral economics and decision-making and a faculty member at the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology at Reichman University, addresses the attack last week at Gil'ad Farms. He begins with a personal anecdote about falling victim to an internet scam, using it to explain the psychological concept of 'victim blaming.' Hochman argues that the question 'But why were they even there?' shifts the center of gravity from the terrorist to the murdered person, and analyzes the mental mechanism behind it – the belief in a just world, which helps people cope with the fear that disasters could happen to them too. He quotes the Book of Ecclesiastes and Albert Camus, emphasizing that the world does not distribute suffering according to justice. Hochman calls for focusing on the heinous act of terror rather than the reasons that led to it, and states that nothing justifies terrorism and murder, and that risk is not blame.

But why were they even there?