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  How has the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel impacted the trauma experienced by civilians and soldiers in the area, and how does this cycle of trauma affect their interactions with others and their point of view of themselves?Do Israelis have compassion towards Palestinians? The Palestine and Israel conflict has lasted many years. The war began in the early 1900s when tensions with the Arab population as a result of the increase in Jewish immigration to Palestine. When the State of Israel in 1948 worsened this issues causing World War II, to as a solution in the continuous wars and disagreements. A final agreement hasn’t been thought of even though the world has attempted to try to fix the conflict. Both Palestinians and Israel believe a parallel viewpoint of Jerusalem to be theirs because it is in their holy book. Palestinians opened their homes to welcome Jews when their homes were destroyed in Nazi Germany, but now Zionist Jews are taking advantage of Palestinians, their land and even committing genocide. Palestinians are now being stripped of a place they once called home and as time goes on they are losing more and more of their land. This touches on the dynamics between Israelis and Palestinians, including acts of kindness from Palestinians to Israelis. Nonetheless, there has been rampant abuse and violence from the Israeli army during these agricultural conflicts. This context helps explain the cycle of trauma and how it affects interactions between civilians and soldiers on both sides. Even though Israel is oppressing Palestinians, they also suffer, as their people experience violence from resistance movements as well. In this paper, I would like to introduce that I understand both sides of why Jerusalem is important to different religions because it is a holy city. But I believe that it is Palestinians’ land and they have the right to want it back. This isn’t a war, it is a genocide.  Katherine Natanel (2022) examines the impact of the continuous conflict between Palestine and Israel and how the traumatic experiences affect both civilians and soldiers. Her study shows how the constant state of violence and housing and food insecurity worsen emotional and psychological distress among individuals in the region. Civilians are subjected to constant threats and disruptions, experiencing chronic trauma that affects their daily lives and interactions. According to The Lancet, a Psychiatry journal article titled “Addressing the mental health crisis among children in Gaza” states, “Since Oct 7, 2023, escalating violence in Gaza has intensified a mental health crisis among its 2·1 million residents, of whom 67% are refugees and 65% are younger than 25 years. Constant bombardment and displacement and the loss of family members are predisposing many children to anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other adverse mental health conditions.” These are the types of things that kids in Gaza are facing daily. Soldiers, on the other hand, are not only perpetrators but also victims of this cycle of violence, often dealing with post-traumatic stress and moral injuries. In her journalistic fieldwork, author Katherine Natanel describes how this trauma causes a cycle of fear, hatred, and retaliation that can deeply influence how individuals see and interact with each other. People in Palestine “Shared intimate stories and objects, openly declared their trust and moved meaningfully to include me within their lives. They offered up fears, anxieties, traumas, losses, hopes, and dreams with little reservation, articulating cautiously guarded beliefs and experiences.” Their openness and desire to speak to Natanel is a clear example of Palestinian resistance. By sharing their stories, they continue to fight to preserve their culture. This connection reflects Natanel’s observations because not only were Palestinians impacted by this cycle, but Israelis fighting in the war have been impacted as well. Many soldiers, like the one in the novel Khirbet Khizeh by S. Yizhar, disagreed with obeying orders but felt that they did not have any superiority over the rest of the soldiers. As the soldiers displace the villagers, they feel guilt and empathy once they realize their actions contribute to the larger injustice of the war. While he was forcibly removing Palestinians from their homes, other soldiers were destroying their villages. After seeing a vulnerable old woman who was too weak to walk and being separated from her home, the soldier was filled with a deep sense of shame. Although the unnamed soldier feels guilty for his role in the occupation, he continues because he feels powerless to stop his actions. He is experiencing cognitive dissonance while continuing to evict Palestinians because his ideas and emotions are conflicting. The soldier is one of many people who continue the oppression of Palestinians. Israeli soldiers can refuse their orders, but since they are not directly harmed by their actions, they are quiet. Their guilt does not return Palestinians to their ancestral land.  “Avraham Sela and Alon Kadish Israeli and Palestinian Memories and Historical Narratives of the 1948 War—An Overview” Avraham Sela and Alon Kadish’s work on Israelis and Palestinians plans to their reader to catch attention about memories and historical narratives of the 1948 war. The two authors provide a perspective that helps their readers understand how the ongoing conflicts have an impact on mental and physical trauma and the influence on perspectives. This research helps emphasize the narratives that have been shaped from the war, using individual experiences, collective memory, and political agendas. The gap in historical experience supports the cycle of trauma, causing victimization and hatred on both sides. The pain that civilians have to endure—whether it be from displacement, the death of a loved one, or the continued occupation—influences how they view the conflict and often results in an ongoing mistrust of the “other.” The following quote from”Returning to Haifa” by Ghassan Kanafani, took place in the 1948 Palestinian war. Said S. and his wife, Safiya, were forced to leave Haifa, leaving behind their infant son, Khaldun. Twenty years later, they return to find their old home taken by Jews, now known as Dov, who has been raised with a Jewish identity and fought along with the Jews.  “Nothing. Nothing at all. I was just asking. I’m looking for the true Palestine, the Palestine that’s more than memories, more than peacock feathers, more than a son, more than scars written by bullets on the stairs. I was just saying to myself, ‘What’s Palestine concerning Khalid?’ He doesn’t know the vase or the picture or the stairs or Halisa or Khaldun.” The novella shows that because of the war they had to deal with loss of identity due to exile, which shows the pain between memories. The core consequence of the conflict: the character’s past goes against clashes with the new reality. The ongoing conflict in Palestine and Israel impacted the mental health of individuals living there since they were forced to leave. When they they returned to Hafia after being displaced they discovered that there were only five peacock feathers instead of the original seven that they left. This caused them to face the painful contrasts between memories and how the changes they were forced to go through. This novella shows the difficulty of personal identity these went through others in Palestine can connect to, questioning what it means to belong and how history shapes individuals.  In conclusion, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine has some deep roots in historical, religious, and territorial problems, with both sides experiencing trauma and suffering. Even though Palestinians historically showed compassion by welcoming Jews during their time of need, the current situation has led to significant oppression and dispossession of Palestinian land and rights. It’s really important for Palestinians and Israel to peace and encourage talking things out. Both sides need to understand and care about each other to stop the fighting because, even though Palestinians are mostly affected by this war, both sides are losing people. These countries need a long-lasting peace treaty, unlike what happened during the British mandate. The conflict also affects people’s jobs and lives, and it’s important to think about how it impacts kids in the future and some kids dont even pass childhood. Making sure everyone’s rights are respected can help find a lasting solution. As demonstrated by Katherine Natanel in the earlier example, this cycle of trauma and violence impacts both soldiers and civilians, making them fearful, hostile, and retaliatory environment. Although Israelis are seen as oppressors, Khirbet Khizeh reveals how this conflict is also leading them to experience mental health problems and guilt.  In a similar way, soldiers of all races whether they are the oppressor or the liberator have to bear the consequences of their actions and the moral problems they encounter. This affects their capacity to interact with others who have different opinions. This cycle of hurt and different perspect […] “How has the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel impacted the trauma experienced by civilians and soldiers in the area, and how does this cycle of trauma affect their interactions with others and their point of view of themselves?”

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