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April 2009, Vol. 20 Issue 3

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• I was concerned at the editorial and the article ‘To resist is to exist’. The whole tone is closer to a political campaign than anything to do with counselling and psychotherapy and politics clearly is not the function of BACP or its monthly journal.

  The authors of this article have travelled to Israel and the Palestinian territories and joined with members of one group which holds and promotes certain views held to be extremist by most informed people. There they have met Palestinians who have made shocking statements quoted in the article, which have in no way been verified, which are then repeated in the editorial as if they are completely true, eg: ‘a child going mute, another temporarily blind…’

  Over the years BACP journals have published numerous articles and meticulously planned and executed research projects about post-traumatic stress syndrome. I myself have worked for many years in counselling individuals and groups following trauma. I have never read of children becoming mute or blind as a result of trauma.

  Strangely, for an article in Therapy Today, nowhere do the authors describe counselling or psychotherapeutic treatment for the citizens of Palestine. Emotive language is used, more extreme than any I have read in the UK mainstream media, about a political situation. However, it is then extremely puzzling for the reader to read about nine Palestinian medical and legal organisations that the authors hear from, apparently well functioning and staffed by these same ‘broken people with no morale’.

  Nowhere does the article mention the reason for the security barrier being built, namely the thousands of Israelis killed and maimed by the suicide bombers coming from the Palestinians. In my opinion this absence of cause amounts to total disinformation. The security barrier, referred to as ‘the Security Wall’ in the article, is being built purely in response to the prolonged campaign of suicide bombing from 2000 to 2005. Only 57 per cent of this barrier has been completed to date, however the suicide bombers have largely been stopped and thousands of lives saved.
  
  In fact the barrier is a fence for 90 per cent of its length and not a wall. Did the authors not see this themselves on their visit? Did the authors ask any questions of the Palestinians as to their view of the suicide bombers? Why is this not even mentioned once? Opinion polls among Palestinians during these terrible years showed over 80 per cent of them supporting the murder of Israelis by suicide bombing. They are totally aware of the horror of these attacks, people losing limbs, limbs and chunks of flesh on the pavement, screaming people, ambulances racing, hysterical relatives in hospital – it was all shown on the Israeli Arabic TV channels which Palestinians watch just a few miles away in Palestine.

  Israeli men, women, teenagers and children, whether Jewish, Moslem or Christian were targeted and killed while travelling on buses, sitting eating pizzas, drinking in cafes and bars, eating in restaurants, walking along the street, partying in discos, going home from kindergarten, entering rail stations and buying things in shops. The cafes and restaurants attacked were owned and staffed by Jews, Christians and Moslems. Security staff who gave their lives by bearing the brunt of suicide bombs, and had time to know that they would be killed when the bomber blew up, were Christian, Jewish and Moslem. Israel Defence Force bases or soldiers were never attacked, only places where ordinary civilians gathered.

  I visit Israel about twice a year and in 2005, I made a visit to Palestine which included Ramallah, Bethlehem and a meeting with leaders and members of the Palestinian National Council. Nowhere did I see or hear scenes as described in this article. I saw perfectly normal people going about their daily business. Bethlehem is a pleasant clean town which attracts funding from Christian organisations – the Church of the Nativity is open to all. Sadly the Christian population there is shrinking because some Christian Palestinians feel threatened by Moslems. There is a major Israel Defence Force checkpoint there because Bethlehem was one of the major places where the suicide bombers were sent from. It is no worse than what you go through in Security at Heathrow Airport.

  ‘Infrastructure weakened’ is mentioned. Israel, via Hevrat Hashmal LeIsrael – Electrical Company of Israel, generates and supplies all the electricity to the West Bank and continued doing so throughout the suicide bombings.

  The article talks about an ‘endless occupation’ and that ‘the West Bank is a gigantic open prison in which the inmates are allowed a degree of self-management’. You will no doubt be aware from a basic study of geography, that Jordan, a sovereign Arab country with many Palestinian citizens, has a long border with Palestine, all the way down its east coast where the Jordan river runs. There are several crossing points. The article does not mention this at all yet there is trade and passage of people and goods between Jordan and the West Bank.
  
  There are still a number of checkpoints within the West Bank and sadly these are still necessary to prevent terrorist attacks in Israel.

  In fact, much good and constructive work is being done to support the work of Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayad in helping Palestinian businesses on the West Bank. Gordon Brown has met with him and the UK and many countries supply much aid to this end. There are hundreds of organisations working between Israelis and Palestinians to facilitate education, facilities, jobs and communication between people. Once the Palestinians realise that using terror will not achieve their aims they can look forward to two states living side by side in peace and security.

   

• Hazel Stein