After a nine-month uprising against 34 years of Israeli military occupation, Palestine's nationalist forces have seemingly achieved part of their goals by placing psychological pressure on Israeli society.
According to a report by the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, some Israelis have left the country and others are seriously considering the same option. Use of tranquilizers and long vacations is on the rise, and psychological problems have become phenomenal.
“Today's crisis has been especially debilitating, particularly among younger generations. By now, the year 2001, things were supposed to have been better," says the article.
"Nine months of Israeli-Palestinian clashes have taken an enormous psychological toll, even on the majority of Israelis, who have suffered little physical impact. To teeter on the brink of another war has led to some fundamental questioning about purpose and future,” says the LA Times.
It added that Israelis had come up with a range of what psychologists call coping mechanisms, ranging from an absolute denial of reality to leaving the country for good.
“Some Israelis resort to a cultural tradition: They say, "davka," to hell with it, I will do everything in my power to live a normal life. Others are looking for ways to escape.
“More Israelis are traveling out of the country, and there's a lot more talk of leaving for good--though large numbers have yet to act on that. Use of sedatives is up. Tuning in to the news is down. Escapist television programming is suddenly the rage," reads the article.
“Newspapers publish 'guides to escapism,' listing the available alternatives, from New Age spirituality to after-hours nightclubs to the lottery. So prevalent is the notion that one columnist wondered about the correct word in Hebrew: eskapizm?”
The LA Times has a story to tell for the sake of example.
“Haim Cohen is among those looking to escape. Cohen was sunning himself on a Tel Aviv beach recently, and thumbing a small publication called Life's Little Instruction Book. He was dreaming of California, a place where he worked for 15 years as a landscaper. 'Maybe it's time to go back,'" he told the LA TImes.
"'It's crazy,' said Cohen, 43, wearing shades and stretched out on a beach blanket. 'Israel is becoming like Bosnia. It's too much crisis. You hear it on TV every day, but it's every day, so you become aloof. But then you can't really be aloof.'"
Six days later and three blocks away, a suicide bombing at a seafront disco killed 21 young Israelis looking to escape -- the deadliest attack in five years.
A psychotherapist told the paper that "people are losing faith and thinking there is no light at the end of the tunnel; it has an effect on morale, and on the strength that people can find in themselves to cope with yet another event or terror attack."
However, those who spoke to the daily blamed everything on Palestinian “terrorism,” without saying if there was any hope that a new generation of their leaders might be able to bring about peace after Israel had used all means to eradicate the Palestinian uprising, starting with rubber-coated steel bullets and escalating to F-16s – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
