Israeli-palestinian
COMMITTEE FOR MENTAL HYGIENE AND PEACE
(ipCMHP)
Secretariat: 94 Händelhof, 2402 GX Alphen
aan den Rijn, The Netherlands. Phone+Fax: +31.172.433559e-mail:
info@theokdegraaf.nl
This is a copy of the ipCMHP-Statement
concerning the Palestinian-Israeli conflict which was sent to the
responsible Israeli and Palestinian leaders. This Statement is being
endorsed by over 125 mental health professionals from Israel, Palestine
and abroad.
Statement to Israeli
and Palestinian leaders
“There never was a good war
or a bad peace.”
(Benjamin Franklin)
This joint statement has been formulated
by a group of Palestinian, Israeli, European and American psychiatrists,
psychologists and psychoanalysts most of whom are internationally known
in the fields of trauma, stress and conflict resolution.
[Just after this statement was formulated
and sent out for signing to our colleagues around the world, we learned
of the horrendous terrorist attacks on American targets in New York and
Washington D.C. These events have shocked us greatly as they have
alarmed people everywhere. We condemn the killing of innocent people in
America and elsewhere and we extend our sympathy to the injured and our
condolences to the families of victims of this crime. Attacks on
civilians, threats against life and murder are to be considered crimes
against humanity. Following these catastrophic events, the world is no
longer as it was before. Obviously, these events must not alter our
determination to strive towards a peaceful resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: in fact, they underscore the necessity of
joining forces and making every effort towards the attainment of a just
and lasting peace.]
We turn to you in full recognition of the
extremely difficult circumstances in which leaders of the Palestinian
and Israeli people have to make decisions, crucially affecting the
safety and security of their citizens, and out of profound concern for
the well-being of both of the peoples involved in this painful conflict
.
In our view, the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict has now reached a deadly stalemate where neither side can win.
Apparent gains, whether achieved by military strength or by spiritual
dedication to overthrowing the conqueror, are short-lived and illusory
in the light of the devastating effects of the violence on all parties
involved.
We are profoundly concerned over the
immediate and the long-term injurious impact of the protracted conflict,
and most particularly of the events of the last year. These effects are
at times all too visible and at times less easily identifiable, but
nevertheless exist.
The deleterious consequences of this
situation include:
-
the cycle of recurring traumatization
involving violence, humiliation, retaliation and revenge
-
the protracted exposure to conditions of
uncertainty, anxiety and stress
-
the personal and national impact of loss
of family members and friends
-
the dehumanization of the other side
viewed as enemy
-
the dehumanizing effects on young people
of being involved in violence and killing and ofparticipating in, or
being a party to, oppression
-
the distorted picture of the other side
inculcated from a young age into future generations,perpetuating the
conflict.
The history of both sides has been
fraught with humiliation, betrayal and expulsion. Comparisons asto who
has suffered more, who has been more unjustly treated, are
counterproductive in resolving the situation. They merely add to a sense
of victimization and contribute to the cycle of trauma and violence.
Based on our experience as therapists of
severely traumatized individuals and groups and our experience with
conflict resolution in a variety of contexts, we are convinced that a
way out of this downward spiral, this blind alley with its imminent
threat of both moral and physical destruction for both of our peoples,
will require at least some, if not all of the following steps:
-
1. Personal and public recognition of the
harm involved in a policy of retribution
Leaders of both nations should acknowledge - first to themselves, and
then to others - the fact that continuing the present policy of mutual
violent retribution will inevitably cause unspeakable harm and cause
serious long-term personal and trans-generational damage, including
mutual bitterness and increased hatred for both the Israeli and the
Palestinian people.
-
2. A sincere expression of regret over
suffering caused
The leaders of the two peoples involved in the conflict need to publicly
recognize and acknowledge the suffering of the other side in the
conflict and should express their sincere regret for this suffering.
Such a recognition has been an important aspect of reconciliation
between parties in severely conflict-ridden situations elsewhere in the
world.
-
3. Denunciation of violence as a means of
achieving national goals
Each side should independently and publicly condemn all violence. This
needs to be done repeatedly, irrespective of the state of current
hostilities, of one’s own wounds and resentments or the accusations of
the other side. Any appeal to God or the Bible or the Kor’an or other
religious symbols, should be publicly and unequivocally denounced
whenever these symbols are used as a justification for discriminatory or
violent acts against people of the other side.
-
4. Undertaking an initiative regardless
of unpleasant political or electoral consequences
Leaders cannot expect political consensus on the issues of peace in the
middle east. The courageous acts of the late Anwar Sadat, then president
of Egypt who brought a message of peace to Jerusalem and of the late
Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzchak Rabin, who made tireless efforts for
peace, won the hearts of many people. We hope that their vision may
serve as an inspiration for leaders in the region and that they may be
spared the fate of these two brave men.
-
5. Specific practical steps
We fully realize that the parties will have to negotiate on the
specifics of any agreement and that any specific suggestion we have is
likely to be a bone of contention. Yet we are entirely convinced, that
at this point the basics of a potential agreement are clear and that
further delay will only result in more casualties and further short term
and long term damage of a most serious kind which does not remain
limited to the region involved. We therefore invite the Israeli
government to announce its genuine intention to end the occupationof the
West Bank and Gaza and to dismantle the settlements in these areas
within an agreed upontime-frame. We similarly invite the Palestinian
Authority to officially announce its intention to achieve independence
only by peaceful means and to explicitly declare its wish to find a
permanent and peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Such declarations should be made concurrently.
It is our conviction that breaking the
present vicious cycle of trauma and successive violence is absolutely
essential, and we will continue to work in this direction. We further
believe that this can best be achieved by collaborative effort. To this
end, some of us who have specialized in the treatment of trauma and
conflict-resolution, would be ready to join with politicians from both
sides. Such a cooperative venture would aim to foster increased
understanding of the psychological spiral of violence, to facilitate
more fruitful modes of communication, and to search for ways out of the
pernicious cycle of violence that affects us all.
September 2001
Eyad el Serraj, M.D., psychiatrist,
General Director, Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, GazaCity,
Palestinian Authority.
Theo K de Graaf, M.D., Ph.D.,
psychiatrist*, Co-ordinating Director, The Orpheus Institute for Medical
and Creative Psychotherapy, Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands.
[ Remaining Signatures on Request]
THIS STATEMENT WAS SENT TO:
the Prime Minister of Israel
Mr. Ariel Sharon
Prime Minister's Office
Hakirya, Kaplan 3, Jerusalem
Israel Fax: +972-2-5664838
the President of Israel
Mr. Moshe Katzav
President's House
President's Str., Jerusalem
Israel Fax: 972-2-5660445
the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel
Mr. Shim’on Peres
Hakirya, Romema, Jerusalem
Israel Fax: +972-2-5303506
the Minister of Defense of Israel
Mr. Benjamin Ben Eliezer
Hakirya, Tel Aviv
Israel Fax:03-6917915
the Chairman of the Knesset
Mr. Avraham Burg
Israeli Knesset, Jerusalem
Israel Fax 972-2-5312117
info@knesset.gov.il
Member of the Knesset
Mr. Yossi Beilin
Israeli Knesset, Jerusalem
Israel Fax 972-2-5312117
info@knesset.gov.il
the Chairman of the PLO
Mr. Yasser Arafat
Office of the President
Palestinian Authority
Fax: +970-8-2822365/6
the Director-General, Office of the
President, Planning Center
Mr. Sulafa Hijawi
Palestinian Authority
Fax: +970-8-2822365/6
Mr. Ahmed Qurie ('Abu Ala')
- Speaker -
PLC - Palestinian Legislative Council
Ramallah Palestine
Palplc@hotmail.com
Mr. Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen)
General Secretary
Gaza
Tel: 08 2824834/1578/40664 Fax: 08 2823487
Ramallah: Tel: 02 2987950/1 Fax: 02 2986212/3
Mr. Ahmed Abdel Rahman
Cabinet Secretary 08 2826890
MidEastWeb brought to your attention the
petition above. Those who wish to further the cause of non-violent
resolution of the conflict can send letters of support to appropriate
addresses.
Sample Statement: "I support a non-violent solution of the
Palestine-Israel conflict by immediate commitments for cessation of
violence and for ending the occupation by Palestinian and Israeli
leadership, and implementation of those commitments as per the joint
satement of the Israeli-palestinian COMMITTEE FOR MENTAL HYGIENE AND
PEACE (ipCMHP)."
Thanks for your attention.
Ami Isseroff,
MidEastWeb
http://www.mideastweb.org
PEACE MidEast Dialog Group:
http://www.mideastweb.org
http://www.ariga.com/dialog
http://www.ariga.com/peacewatch
haGalil onLine
10-10-2001 |