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4 Int'l J. Child. Rts. 191 (1996)
Palestinian Children and Violence

handle is hein.journals/intjchrb4 and id is 201 raw text is: The International Journal of Children's Rights 4: 191-194, 1996. 191 @ 1996 Kluwer Law International. Printed in the Netherlands. Palestinian children and violence* EYAD SARRAJ** During the violent days of the Intifada, I was told by a PLO official, on one of my visits to Tunis, that he was concerned about the damage being done to the national spirit of the struggle by the portrayal of our heroic Palestinian children as victims. At the same time, back in Gaza, I still had to deal with the Israeli occupation authorities who were accusing me of using children and their alleged trauma for political propaganda. There is no doubt in my mind that life as we lived it was a political issue. Living under occupation makes any one politically involved. Not only the politics of the deadly confrontation between Israel and the PLO, but also inter partisan politics were exerting their pressure on my work. It was difficult to form a board of directors with the agreement of all political streams. It was difficult enough to get the representatives of the spectrum to meet, let alone to agree on anything. Each party was mainly concerned about its slice of power, and sought to monopolise power, sometimes through intimidation or even brute force. One example was when my drug- addict patients were threatened by Hamas, to either stop taking drugs at once or be killed. Some were killed, despite my attempt to save them. And since everyone loves children, it was argued that these patients were killed for the sake of protecting children from their bad example. How did children become involved in the Intifada? The world watched in amazement, seeing youngsters not only confront, but even draw Israeli soldiers into battle. More than anybody else, the Israelis themselves were desperate to know the answer; their self perception was suffering, and their image in the eyes of the world was being damaged. In our culture, children are fortunate in not being stigmatised or ostracised when they require psychiatric help. For to consult a psychiatrist in Gaza can be a risky business. Many people still believe that mental illness is a form * This article has been presented as a paper at the Conference, 'The Impact of Armed Conflicts on Children', Belfast, 2-5 February 1996, organized by Save the Children, Belfast. ** Psychiatrist, Founder and Director of Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, and Commissioner General Of The Independent Palestinian Commission For Citizens' Rights.

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