Palestinian kids see 'martyrs' as heroes
Palestinian kids see 'martyrs' as heroes
First Published 2004-03-29, Last Updated 2004-03-30 13:04:16
Palestinian minors living in Jabilya refugee camp have been raised on daily diet of Israeli army incursions, checkpoints.
By Tangi Quemener - GAZA CITY
Young Palestinians living in an atmosphere of constant violence are fascinated with becoming a "martyr," but are almost never involved in anti-Israeli attacks, child specialists said Sunday.
The issue captured the spotlight last week when a 16-year-old Palestinian was caught trying to pass through an Israeli checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus.
The arresting image of him standing alone with his hands up and the explosives strapped to his chest were splashed across the front-pages of Israeli and foreign newspapers.
The incident stoked fears Palestinian youngsters are becoming increasingly caught up in the conflict with Israel.
In the teeming Jabilya refugee camp just north of Gaza City, Yunis and Mohammed, two typical 13-year-olds, said they had no desire to become doctors or teachers when they grow up.
"I want to be a martyr", they chimed.
Some 52 percent of the 1.2 million inhabitants of this narrow strip of land abutting the Mediterranean are aged under 18.
All of them have been raised on an almost daily diet of Israeli army incursions and checkpoints and clashes involving Palestinian militants.
Palestinian rights groups say that around 600 minors have been killed in the violence which has engulfed Israel and the occupied territories since the start of the second intifada, or uprising, in September 2000.
"The children are a product of their environment" and since the start of the intifada "no part of the Gaza Strip has been spared from violence," said Palestinian psychiatrist Iyad al-Sarraj.
The trauma of growing up in what often resembles a war-zone is compounded by the poverty.
More than 85 percent of people try to survive on less than two dollars a day, according to the World Bank. About half are believed to suffer from malnutrition.
The scars left by witnessing the death of a loved one or the destruction of property during Israeli bombardments are slow to heal and many now show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
These children "are feverish, anguished and violent. They can no longer concentrate at school," said Sarraj whose center counsels some 4,000 children a year.
The absence of a father, whether he has been imprisoned by the Israeli authorities or else killed in the violence, lies at the root of most the youngsters' troubles, the psychologist said.
Bereft of a father figure, many are on the look-out for role models.
With leaders of hardline groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad glorifying the "sacrifices" of suicide bombers, it is not hard to see how "martyrs" come to fill the gap.
The most recent suicide attacks against Israel were carried out by two 17-year-olds who both died killing 10 Israelis two weeks ago at the southern port of Ashdod.
But observers say the number of times young people have been recruited to carry out attacks on Israelis can be counted on one hand and leaders of armed factions say they do not support the idea of children joining the fight.
"We have not actual proof of children being recruited" and both "Hamas and Islamic Jihad have rejected the participation of children in attacks," said Michael Bociurkiw, regional spokesman for the United Nations children's fund UNICEF.
The organisation has tried to lighten the psychological suffering on young Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank with a series of initiatives. One of them features a free phone hotline to allow them to let off steam rather than become involved in protests that can often turn ugly.
"The idea of this number is that before they think of throwing stones at Israeli tanks, they children can ring in and express their frustration", said Bociurkiw.
Middle East Online
