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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