Yeah I think something like collective psychosis is at play here. One thing that someone else pointed out is that a lot of the Israeli football/soccer hooligans behaving badly were probably IDF soldiers that had participated, or are about to participate in the carnage being wrought on Gaza.
Having been in the US military myself, I've seen firsthand the behavior and mindset of (predominately) adolescent and young adult males hyped up on pro-war propaganda, and intentionally 'pysched up' to fight... or suffering from trauma/PTSD from having fought.
Israel - like the US - is a war culture. Perhaps even more so, with compulsory military service and an entire history/origin story of the 'brave' soldiers 'defending' freedom and fighting evil. Violence and war features prominently throughout the histories of both Israel and the US.
In reality, what US soldiers really do (predominately) is project imperialist power and defend 'assets' that the capitalist ruling class is interested in commodifying for their own power/profit. The ultimate goal of US foreign policy is to maintain its hegemony (Israel being an important partner in this). But, this doesn't really have quite a 'noble' sound to it, so instead the US public is sold on a bunch of mythological folklore about 'manifest destiny', US 'exceptionalism', 'defending democracy', oversimplified narratives of 'good' vs 'evil', blah blah blah.
This leads to a mindset of extreme nationalist patriotism bordering on the obnoxious aptly described as 'jingoism', where anyone not parroting or screaming 'USA #1' at the top of their lungs is attacked by the mob for being a 'traitor' or not patriotic enough to join the mob in their mindless thought-free fury in advocating for more war by perceived foreign enemies hiding under every rock and log. "We are killing terrorists," we are told. End of story. And, if you aren't on board with that, you must be a traitor. All dissent is silenced with accusations of disloyalty. I call it being 'gagged' with the flag.
I imagine if it's as bad as I've seen in the US and in the US military, it's just as bad if not worse in Israel. I've noticed many parallels with the same virulent nationalism and the same rhetoric used to justify unjust wars and conflicts in use by the politicians of both countries.
I think many Israelis - like Americans - are intensely patriotic. That in itself isn't a bad thing necessarily. It's good to have pride in your communities if it is channeled in healthy, wholesome ways. Unfortunately, it seems that this patriotic fervor (especially in war time) all to often results in people whipping themselves up into frenzied mobs. Add sports, booze, 'frat-boy' and young soldier mentalities and adolescent immaturity into the mix and you get the hooliganism that we saw on display in Amsterdam.
By the way, many Americans behave atrociously abroad too, which I'm ashamed to admit, but it's the honest truth. The British have a reputation as rowdy tourists too (particularly young men on 'lads' holidays). So this isn't just a phenomenon with Israelis. However, I think given current events, and the racist/provocative nature of their behavior, this was an inevitable powder keg of a situation.
Furthermore, I think Israel is largely protected by the US and Western politicians who conflate honest defense of Israel with Zionist expansionist ideology fueled by racism and whacky religious fanaticism (which there is a lot of in the US and I would guess Israel as well). There's also a fear of any criticism of the actions of the Israeli state, government, or its citizens being labeled 'anti-semitic'.
Due to this, I do think that Israel (and in this case, the misbehaving sports hooligans) are provided immense political and diplomatic cover for things that most other countries (even other US allies) would not be able to get away with so easily.
Like a spoiled child who is never reprimanded or told 'no', this can lead to attitudes and sentiments of elitism, arrogance, and the propensity to act with impunity knowing that you will be largely shielded from the consequences of your actions. I think we're seeing some of that play out here too.
When you have a powerful military - and are a benefactor of an even more powerful country with massive military capabilities that protects you - it's hard to not let that go to your head and resist acting like a tyrant - especially as a young man who's steeped in that military culture.
