My heart sank when I saw the cover of your March Vol. 20 Issue 2 edition. It sank further when I read the article. First of all, it is inaccurate. As yet, there is no such state as Palestine.
My heart sank when I saw the cover of your March Vol. 20 Issue 2 edition. It sank further when I read the article. First of all, it is inaccurate. As yet, there is no such state as Palestine. In addition, there are no Israeli troops or civilians 'occupying' Gaza and there have not been for nearly three years. In spite of this, instead of taking the opportunity of building themselves a state, it has been used to smuggle in arms and launch barrages of over 8,000 rockets aimed at Israeli civilians, which have continued for eight years and is still continuing today. Unfortunately, the world seems less concerned about the physical and mental health of Jews than it does about Arabs.
The security wall was built to stop suicide bombers from getting into Israeli towns and attacking people on buses, in shopping malls, cafes and nightclubs. If they didn't happen, the wall would not be necessary. Just this week, a bomb was discovered In Haifa, but there was no coverage in the media. I would point out that no Jew has ever blown themselves up in a similar manner. I assume that you will also be publishing an article about the mental health of the residents of the south of Israel. Children who live there are also traumatised and have never known life that didn't include having 15 seconds to get to air raid shelters. You could also examine those who have lost relatives, friends and colleagues in terrorist attacks and those who remain too traumatised to step on a bus or go to a market.
I am surprised that my professional body has seen fit to publish unsubstantiated allegations – many of which ultimately turn out to be false, but by then the damage is already done. The mental torment of the Palestinians should concern us all, but in the context that their suffering could have ended many years ago, had their leaders cared as much about them as we do, recognised Israel's right to exist and accepted a two-state solution. This has been offered many, many times since 1948 and has been refused. The trouble is that the state they want is the state of Israel.
Rita Radivan
A response to ‘To resist is to exist’ by Martin Kemp and Eliana Pinto |
| "<p>The recent spate of correspondence over the publication in Therapy Today of ‘To resist is to exist’ by Martin Kemp and Eliana Pinto (March 2009) has raised the ire of many readers, despite the BACP statement that BACP ‘has no position or policy with regard to Middle East politics’</p>" |
Trauma: the unreported casualty of war |
| "<p>In the March issue of this journal, two psychotherapists wrote about the psychological impact of military occupation on the Palestinian people. In response, David Bedein reports from Sderot on the effects of Palestinian rocket fire on the city's residents</p>" |
Palestine: to resist is to exist |
| "We have received an unprecedented amount of correspondence, both negative and positive, in reponse to last month's article 'To resist is to exist'. More of this can be read here (see 'related articles, right)" |
To resist is to exist |
| "<p>Notes on the psychological impact of military occupation in Palestine</p>" |