Citation

Moss D, Majadle G, Milhem J, Waterston T. BMJ Paediatr Open 2021; 5(1): e001062.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bmjpo-2021-001062

PMID

34604544

PMCID

PMC8449953

Abstract

A new report by three leading Israeli human rights organisations--Physicians for Human Rights Israel, Yesh Din and Breaking the Silence--documents the grievous mental health repercussions, including on children, of the Israeli policy of forcible invasions by the military into the homes of West Bank Palestinian families. The report, titled 'Life Exposed1' is based on 158 interviews of Palestinians who experienced home invasions, as well as over 40 soldiers who carried them out. Following 3 years of joint work, the report documents how these invasions, which number more than 250 a month2 and are primarily carried out between midnight and 05:00, traumatise and cause harm to Palestinians adults and children and effectively serve to intimidate and maintain control over the Palestinian population. At a time when there are increasing concerns globally about violence perpetrated against children, the political goals of this tactic, its frequency, the adverse mental health impact on children as well as lack of available studies until now means that it bears close examination and criticism.

Why do such home invasions take place? It is possible to identify four main types of military intrusions into Palestinian homes in the West Bank: Searches for money, weapons or other items; arrest of a member of the family; 'mapping' and documenting the physical features of the house and the identity of its occupants and seizure for operational needs, such as setting up an observation post. As such, as the report states, 'almost any situation could meet the conditions for approving a military invasion into a Palestinian home in the West Bank'.1 The number of soldiers intruding into the house ranges from a handful to roughly 30. The average duration of an invasion, in the cases documented, is around 80 min. More than 60% of those interviewed confirmed that soldiers invaded their home more than once. The army alleges that these invasions are based on security needs. However, as the report concludes, home invasions are frequently a tool for deterrence, intimidation and collective punishment to increase military control over the population.

Home invasions by the Israeli military are characterised by unjustifiable and excessive use of force, arbitrariness, unpredictability and frequency, leaving families and individuals vulnerable to the decisions of soldiers, who hold immense power. Home invasions inflict psychological damage on both individuals and communities, as they involve a sudden, forced intrusion into the victims' private space along with a real threat of physical harm. The report demonstrates the significant mental health impact on both parents and children of the home invasions...

Language: en

Keywords

child abuse; child psychiatry