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<\/a><\/p>\nOne part of Israel\u2019s military operation in Gaza that\u2019s been largely ignored by the mainstream media is\u00a0the extremely sophisticated psychological war that\u2019s being waged on the Palestinian people.<\/b>\u00a0If we look carefully at some of the more unusual elements in Israel\u2019s strategy, we see the outline of plan that is clearly\u00a0aimed at inflicting maximum psychological damage on its victims.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Take, for example, Israel\u2019s repeated demand that civilians leave a particular city at a designated time. Every time this demand has been made it was followed shortly after by airstrikes on the fleeing civilians. We could easily dismiss this unfortunate action as an operational snafu attributable to human error, but that does not appear to be the case. After all, these airstrikes have not happened just once or twice, but over and over again. This suggests that it is official policy. The same is true of the seemingly random killing of civilians by Israeli snipers, (some of them waving white flags) or the so-called \u201cindiscriminate bombing\u201d of homes, hospitals and refugee camps, or the hyper-belligerent pronouncements by political leaders, or the massive slaughter of civilians peacefully gathering food at humanitarian aid trucks. What we\u2019re saying is that none of these things have any apparent tactical value, rather their efficacy can only be measured in terms of how they help Israel achieve its overall strategic objective which is the expulsion of the entire Arab population. In that regard, the strategy appears to be working quite well because the majority of\u00a0the population is now convinced that \u201cnowhere is safe\u201d. This, in fact, is the cornerstone upon which Israel has developed its psychological battleplan, to eradicate any sense of personal security prompting feelings of anxiety, confusion and hopelessness.\u00a0<\/b>Keep in mind, this mindset did not appear out of thin air. This mindset is the product of a meticulously-plotted and thoroughly-sinister plan to inflict maximum psychological damage on 2 million people so they will be easier to expel from their historic homeland. That is the underlying goal of Israel\u2019s operation, ethnic cleansing. And the psychological aspect of the campaign may be more critical to its success than the relentless airstrikes or nascent ground war. This is from an article at\u00a0Save The Children<\/em>:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn times of war, people usually seek refuge in safe places.\u00a0There are no safe places in Gaza right now, and there is no way of reaching safety outside.<\/b>\u00a0With a sense of safety, the constant reassuring presence of family, some kind of a routine and appropriate treatment, children can recover. But so many children have already lost family members, some have lost all, and the violence and displacement are relentless,\u201d Jason Lee, Save the Children\u2019s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory.\u00a0Children\u2019s Mental health Pushed Beyond the Breaking Point,<\/a>\u00a0Save The Children<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n While Lee recognizes the importance of \u201csafe places\u201d, he fails to connect the dots. He seems to think the present situation is an accident of war, but it\u2019s not an accident of war.\u00a0Israeli leaders have undoubtedly worked hand-in-glove with groups of behavior psychologists to settle on a plan that would achieve their political goals while minimizing casualties.<\/b>\u00a0(Mass casualties lead to fierce political opposition which Israel wanted to avoid.) The current psyops achieves both which is why we should assume that it is not \u2018accidental\u2019. In short,\u00a0Israel\u2019s bombing campaign is more focused on terrorizing and traumatizing than it is on killing.<\/b>\u00a0Can you see that?<\/span><\/p>\n Once we realize that there\u2019s a rational motive for Israel\u2019s seemingly random violence, we begin to see it everywhere. Every day there are new airstrikes on tent cities and refugee camps that have no strategic value at all. Why? Have Israeli leaders lost their minds?<\/span><\/p>\n No, they haven\u2019t lost their minds. They are deliberately terrorizing the Palestinians so they will eagerly stampede into Egypt as soon as the wall is breached. This is the real purpose of Israel\u2019s psychological war.<\/span><\/p>\n So, what are the consequences of Israel\u2019s psych-war on the Palestinians?<\/span><\/p>\n Well, if we review the data from the past, we see that Israel\u2019s frequent incursions have been nothing short of catastrophic. Check out this excerpt from a report by a group of scholars from the University of Washington in 2009:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA recent report found that 91.4 percent of children in the Gaza Strip suffer moderate to severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.\u201d\u2026<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The most recent studies indicate that the vast majority of Gaza\u2019s children exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)\u2026.. Of a representative sample of children in Gaza, more than 95 percent experienced artillery shelling in their area or sonic booms of low-flying jets. Moreover, 94 percent recalled seeing mutilated corpses on TV and 93 percent witnessed the effects of aerial bombardments on the ground.\u00a0Vast majority of Gaza children suffer PTSD symptoms,<\/a>\u00a0Electronic Intifada<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Repeat: \u201c91.4 percent of children in the Gaza Strip\u201d already have \u201cmoderate to severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n So, even back in 2009, Palestinians were experiencing a \u201cstaggering level of psychological trauma.\u201d Imagine how many more people will be severely impacted by today\u2019s bloody rampage. It\u2019s worth noting, that the psychological damage from the current conflict will not vanish when the hostilities end. Many of these people will spend the rest of their lives wrestling with their own demons in a hell that is entirely of Israel\u2019s making. Here\u2019s more from a 4-month-old article at the\u00a0Guardian<\/em>:<\/span><\/p>\n Children in Gaza are developing severe trauma symptoms alongside the risk of death and injury, according to a Palestinian psychiatrist\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n The psychological impact of the war on children was showing, said Fadel Abu Heen, a psychiatrist in Gaza. Children had\u00a0\u201cstarted to develop serious trauma symptoms such as convulsions, bed-wetting, fear, aggressive behaviour, nervousness, and not leaving their parents\u2019 sides.\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The \u201clack of any safe place has created a general sense of fear and horror among the entire population<\/b>\u00a0and children are most impacted,\u201d he said\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n Studies conducted after earlier conflicts have shown a majority of children in Gaza exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).<\/span><\/p>\n Among Unicef\u2019s other findings were: 91% of children reported sleeping disturbances during the conflict; 94% said they slept with their parents; 85% reported appetite changes; 82% felt angry; 97% felt insecure; 38% felt guilty; 47% were biting their nails; 76% reported itching or feeling ill\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n A report last year by Save the Children on the impact of 15 years of blockade and repeated conflicts on the mental health of children in Gaza found\u00a0their psycho-social wellbeing had \u201cdeclined dramatically to alarming levels\u201d<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n Children that the aid agency interviewed \u201cspoke of fear, nervousness, anxiety, stress and anger, and listed family problems, violence, death, nightmares, poverty, war and the occupation, including the blockade, as the things they liked least in their lives\u201d.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\n
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