In Israel, Gaza, and the Palestinian occupied territories, as not so long ago in Northern Ireland, the focus of most reportage is on two irredeemably divided peoples, living cheek to jowl, locked in a struggle from which there seems to be no exit. The Los Angeles Times piece that follows indicates some but not all of the ever increasing costs of such a struggle on the “home” front among Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, and among the Palestinians — the rise of “intifada syndrome,” of wife beating, and wife murder, of violence of every sort and, among children on both sides, extreme attitudes of every kind. And this is not faintly a full catalog of the growing stresses and strains of this ongoing catastrophe. For instance, recently there has reportedly been a sharp rise in desertions in the Israeli Army, something the Israeli military has never previously had to deal with at this level.
The similar increase in domestic violence on both sides might lead us to consider whether situations like these should perhaps be dealt with not as two peoples or even societies locked in endless struggle, but as the internal conflicts of a single deluded people. In struggles where two “peoples” insist upon the right to define the boundaries of a state (or states) in which everyone is literally, unbearably intertwined on the ground, perhaps it’s a mistake to think in dualities just because the combatants naturally do so. It may be a bit of positive news that small but growing numbers of Palestinians are reportedly beginning to think in terms of supporting the idea of a bi-national state. Israelis and Palestinians are, in essence and despite appearances, a bi-national people. Tom
Mideast Violence Moves to the Home Front
For Israelis and Palestinians alike, conflict spills over into other circles of life.
By Tracy Wilkinson
The Los Angeles Times
December 13 2002Jerusalem — In a small sanctuary near the ancient Phoenician city of Caesarea, Israeli therapists are treating discharged soldiers for an affliction some call “intifada syndrome”: The young men are violent and confused. In Palestinian cities, social workers face a wave of women who were beaten or abused at home and a rash of intra-clan murders.
Everywhere, children are learning about hate. Life seems cheap. The basic fabric of the family, in two societies where family ties are strong, is being shredded by the trauma of war.
With Israelis and Palestinians locked in their deadliest fighting in decades, urban violence by gunmen and tanks is spilling over into other circles of life, creating fissures that will have an effect long after peace is declared.
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Jerusalem — In a small sanctuary near the ancient Phoenician city of Caesarea, Israeli therapists are treating discharged soldiers for an affliction some call “intifada syndrome”: The young men are violent and confused. In Palestinian cities, social workers face a wave of women who were beaten or abused at home and a rash of intra-clan murders.
Everywhere, children are learning about hate. Life seems cheap. The basic fabric of the family, in two societies where family ties are strong, is being shredded by the trauma of war.
With Israelis and Palestinians locked in their deadliest fighting in decades, urban violence by gunmen and tanks is spilling over into other circles of life, creating fissures that will have an effect long after peace is declared.