Middle East Crisis: President’s Update
As the war between Israel and Hamas and the suffering in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank continue, the IPA committee Psychoanalytic Assistance in Crises and Emergencies (PACE) has created an active and important network for psychoanalytic intervention.
PACE is a committee of IPA in the Community and the World and its chair, Monica Cardenal, is a member of its Steering Committee. Below is a report from Monica. I send it as a hopeful communication about existing and potential on-the-ground IPA activity in the context of the ongoing conflict.
To all our members, I send heartfelt wishes for peace in the New Year.
Harriet Wolfe, IPA President
3 January 2024
PACE Report
Monica Cardenal (PACE Chair)
22 December, 2023
In collaboration with IPA societies’ Community Centers and volunteer colleagues around the world, PACE is coordinating free emergency assistance for the populations affected by the Middle East conflict. PACE has suggested a psychoanalytic model with a limited-time intervention consisting of between 4 and 8 sessions, with individual analysts continuing the treatment, if necessary. This assistance is suitable for children, young people, and adults.
Many IPA societies that have a significant Israeli or Arab population in their society’s country are also providing aide. These societies include but are not limited to: Argentine Psychoanalytic Association (APA), Buenos Aires Psychoanalytic Association (APdeBA), Madrid Psychoanalytic Association (APM), Mexican Psychoanalytic Association (APM), Istanbul Psychoanalytical Association, Italian Psychoanalytical Society, Psychoanalytic Association of Uruguay (APU), and many societies in Brazil. They are offering, through their Community Centers, as proposed by PACE, free brief psychoanalytic interventions. Colleagues from the Peruvian Association are also working with an Israeli school that has received children from Israel. Analysts offer support groups for teachers and professors and consult to them with input from members of PACE. This is another example of assistance that IPA societies can organize together with PACE, according to the demand in each country. PACE recommends that the societies with Community Centers contact Israeli and Palestinian organizations that might be centralizing requests for help, as well as Embassies, Chancelleries, and religious organizations. PACE has a letter template which it can provide to those interested.
At the moment it is almost impossible to intervene in Gaza, in part because of the lack of continuous internet access. PACE is planning, however, for the near future and has contacted the following organizations working in Gaza and Lebanon: GazaMedicVoices, Health Workers for Palestine, and the Norwegian Aid Committee (NORWAC). PACE is also working with the Israeli Psychoanalytic Society to plan future projects of cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian mental health professionals.
Experience has taught the members of PACE that it takes time to be able to intervene. Still, in the meantime, they are generating networks and contacts, and organizing action programs together with IPA societies and humanitarian organizations. PACE counts on our members for their help during these very troubling times.