Chronic uncertainty: The trauma of childhood under occupation

[Violet_Crumble]

Fear of night raids and imprisonment loom large in the imagination of almost every Palestinian child. Reports on specific cases of violence and abuse fail to capture the epidemic of instability Palestinian children face daily.

Days after a team of British jurists published a report on the experiences of Palestinian child detainees entitled Children in Military Custody, B’Tselem released footage of border policemen grabbing and kicking a nine-year-old boy in Hebron. The coverage cast a sharp but fleeting spotlight on two aspects of what life is like for children under military occupation: torture in prison (or fear of the same) and casual harassment in the street (or the risk of the same). Working with children in Bethlehem provides daily glimpses into the world that lies between these two poles.

Eight-year-old Sahar is originally from Gaza. Born blind and with learning difficulties, she was given permission to attend a special school in the West Bank in the wake of Cast Lead. Her hair is kept short, given her tendency to yank it out; her arms and legs are usually covered with scratches and bite marks. One evening she took a pair of scissors and dug them into her ears. Her language problems make it difficult to pinpoint what drives her self-harm, but this time she was clear enough: “Bombs in ears.” That week had been full of wedding parties, with the usual celebratory fireworks, a sound Sahar cannot stand. For her the world has all the stability of Krakatoa (and the same tendency to intermittently erupt).

This sense of unpredictability is shared by seventeen-year-old Ruwaida, who has transformed the wall of her bedroom in the Aida refugee camp into a mural. The sun blazes in a cloudless sky and a tree arches protectively over her bed. She suffers night terrors about soldiers bursting through the walls. At first I thought that this was just a surreal twist to the nightmare until I discovered that during the Second Intifada this was a routine way for soldiers to enter the camp’s tightly-packed houses.

As no one can guarantee the children practical stability, we concentrate on fostering strong friendships and family ties. Ruwaida has been helped through a youth group, while Sahar’s interest has been captured by my Israeli friend Orit (whom she persistently refers to as ‘Oreo’). She wonders why Orit doesn’t visit more often, having no concept of the distance between Bethlehem and Kfar Saba – or the illegality of Orit’s presence in Area A. The last time we met, she announced, “When I’m big” – she leapt to indicate height, thwacking me on the chin – “I’m live there, with Oreo and giraffes.” My protestations that Orit has no giraffes were met with a decisive head butt to the stomach, presumably in rebuke for my lack of enterprise. “Giraffes,” she said firmly.

http://972mag.com/chronic-uncertainty-the-trauma-of-childhood-under-occupation/51626/

[Scurrilous]

1. K & R

[Bradlad]

2. Sahar's tragic story.

This is indeed a very sad commentary on what happens to the defenseless - the old, infirm the young - in wartime. It is terrible. And even more so when it was easily within the power of Sahar's community to prevent it.

How is it not obvious that Sahar's plight was the direct result of her community deciding that trying to kill Israeli civilians in their homes and places of work, their farms, and Israel's children on their way to school - was more important to them than building the first state in their new nation of Palestine? Is it not obvious to anyone with even a small amount of compassion for Sahar how different her life would have been if the decision had been made to use the opportunity of Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza for that more peaceful purpose?

Certainly, in this very clear case, only those who hope for the destruction of the state of Israel would use the "what else could they do" card.

[shira]

4. Tragic. Gaza's no longer occupied, Hamas runs it, they chose war, children suffer as a result. n/t

[Jefferson23]

3. Thank goodness for the documentation from B’Tselem. K&R n/t

[kayecy]

5. Sad indeed....

Sad indeed....If the majority of Israelis had suffered bombing, night raids etc from an alien culture, they might be a bit more sympathetic.....

[LeftishBrit]

7. Those of Sdot and Ashkelon in particular have suffered many rocket attacks and it makes them less

sympathetic, not more so.

The violence on both sides just breeds more violence.

[Bradlad]

11. I respectfully disagree with one . .

I respectfully disagree with one part of your comment.

You say, "The violence on both sides just breeds more violence."

That's not true. The violence on only one side breeds more violence. That is the violence against Israeli civilians. None of those attacks were for the purpose of defense against Israeli attacks. The Palestinians who attacked Israel readily admit that their purpose is to "rid the ME of Jews and destroy Israel, not to defend themselves from Israeli aggression.

In fact, Israeli defensive operations, periods of increased IDF violence such as OCL - quelled the attacks for a while and contributed to a period of lowered violence. The same can be said about each of the major wars of aggression started by the Arabs. After each one there was a period of calm. In some of those cases major treaties were signed.

All that is required for all the violence to end is for the Arabs to stop attacking Israel. That's always been the case. The myth of the "cycle of violence" plays into the narrative of those who are trying to justify their aggression. It's important that those who wish to see peace in the ME have a clear understanding of this.

[Bradlad]

9. Try some critical thinking.

If the state of Israel had started a war of aggression against a particular alien culture and the bombings and night raids were defense against those acts of aggression - they'd have only themselves to blame getting bombed and raided in the night. And they'd deserve the blame for having started the war for any of their civilians and children who were injured or killed.

Added: I'd add that this is especially true since the Hamas make a practice of hiding amongst civilians and firing at the IDF from those positions.

Sad indeed that any members of a liberal forum would be anything but angry at those who start wars of aggression that require a military response to defend their innocent civilians from aggression.

[azurnoir]

6. how very sad to grow up this way

but yet we're told here by at least one person we're to blame the victims, why yes the Palestinians left IDF with no other choice then to break through the walls of Palestinians homes, and question to that is saying Israel has no right to self defense or something

[Bradlad]

10. See #9. n/t

[azurnoir]

13. yawn so you apparently believe that IDF/Israel had no choice but to break through the wals of homes

in the middle of the night? quite telling indeed

[shira]

12. Quite telling when you believe Hamas are the victims when they're actually to blame. n/t

[azurnoir]

14. and yet even more Wizard of Oz (strawman) commenting?

when you can stick to the comment instead of simply making up stuff to fit your desires get back to me

[shira]

15. Brad and I both blame Hamas for children suffering the effects of war....

You appeared to disagree, claiming the victims were being blamed.

Neither one of us blamed innocent Palestinians; only Hamas.

[azurnoir]

16. so all Palestinians are Hamas? because

for your claims to have any validity that would have to be the case or is one of act first and let their deity sort them out later?

[shira]

17. Huh? No, maybe you believe all Palestinians are Hamas. Those who don't subscribe to their radical

...Islamist views and are subjugated, abused, and oppressed by Hamas are not Hamasniks. Most Palestinians are victims of Hamas in Gaza. The OP goes to show that as Hamas chooses war and rockets over running Gaza peacefully and productively for its citizens.

[azurnoir]

18. what an imaginative interpretation thanks n/t

[shira]

19. The least you could do is admit you were wrong to accuse Brad of blaming the victim. n/t

[azurnoir]

20. Ah the circular argument

if I was wrong I would say so but in this case I was not it was clearly the victims being blamed for reasons I've already mentioned

[LeftishBrit]

8. Very sad.

Poor little thing.

Peace seems as rare in the region as giraffes at the moment, but I hope everyone can make this change.