سماخ
سماخ
Samah Jab Samah Jab (A abic: سماح جبر, bo 8 Augus 1976) is a Pales i ia Je usalemi e psychia is , psycho he apis a d w i e . Si ce 2016, she has bee Chai of he Me al Heal h U i a he Pales i ia Mi is y […]
Samah Jab
Samah Jab (A abic: سماح جبر, bo 8 Augus 1976) is a Pales i ia Je usalemi e psychia is , psycho he apis a d w i e . Si ce 2016, she has bee Chai of he Me al Heal h U i a he Pales i ia Mi is y of Heal h, a d has w i e colum s abou he psychological co seque ces of he Is aeli occupa io i Pales i e si ce he 2000s. I spi ed by a icolo ial psychia is F a z Fa o , he a eas of i e es i clude me al heal h, colo ialism a d u ive sal huma igh s.
Co e s
Biog aphyedi
Samah Jab was bo o a Je usalemi e family o Augus 8, 1976.1 She g adua ed f om Al-Quds U ive si y (Je usalem) i 2001, a membe of he fi s coho of he Facul y of Medici e.2 She gai ed adva ced ai i g i psychia y i F a ce a d he U i ed Ki gdom, as well as i cli ical esea ch i he U i ed S a es.2 She specialized i psycho he apy a d was ai ed a he Is ael Psychoa aly ic I s i u e of Je usalem. Jab is o e of 22 psychia is s p ac ici g i he Wes Ba k,3 a d amo g he fi s Pales i ia wome i his p ofessio .2
Ca ee edi
Jab se ves as Pales i e Medical Di ec o fo he Pales i ia Medical Educa io I i ia ive4 (PMED), a d p ac ices as a psychia is a d a psycho he apis i he p iva e a d public sec o s. He esea ch is published i bo h Pales i ia a d i e a io al pee – eviewed jou als. She co-w o e, wi h Ame ica child psychia is Elizabe h Be ge , a s udy focusi g o cli ical a sfe e ce a d cou e a sfe e ce ac oss he Is aeliPales i ia divide5 a d o e o he su vival a d well-bei g of he Pales i ia people u de occupa io .6
Jab has augh a va ious Pales i ia u ive si ies7 a d is a supe viso a he Geo ge Washi g o U ive si y8 (Washi g o ). She is a fellow a he Ce e fo Scie ce a d Policy9 (U ive si y of Camb idge). She wo ks as a co sul a a d a ai e fo he U i ed Na io s Office o D ugs a d C ime (UNODC), Save he Child e a d Doc o s Wi hou Bo de s (MSF).10
A volu ee fo he Public Commi ee Agai s To u e i Is ael (PCATI), Jab co ibu es o es ablishi g epo s based o he es imo ies of vic ims. I he docume a y Beyo d he F o li es: Tales of Resis a ce a d Resilie ce i Pales i e (Alexa d a Dols, 2017, F a ce), she explai s ha he objec ive is o le he pe pe a o s k ow ha hei ac s of o u e a e k ow , epo ed a d filed, so ha hey may be held accou able.11
Jab has bee a egula gues of Pales i ia adio s a io Nisaa FM12 a d of Pa a ab cha el Al A aby, whe e she has bee i e viewed o opics i cludi g me al heal h, he igh s of people wi h special eeds, ma gi aliza io a d abuse.
Jab has published colum s i he Washi g o Repo o Middle Eas Affai s13 a d he Middle Eas Mo i o .14 He pe spec ive is ha he Is aeli occupa io is o o ly a poli ical issue, bu i deed a me al heal h p oblem.1
Jab has also bee a gues of o ga iza io s suppo i g he Pales i ia people i F a ce, whe e she has bee i vi ed by local associa io Les amis de Jayyous,15 as well as a io al Associa io F a ce-Pales i e Solida i é۱۶ (AFPS) a d U io juive f a çaise pou la paix17 (UJFP). I s i u io s i cludi g he School of O ie al a d Af ica S udies18 (SOAS), he Tavis ock Po ma NHS Fou da io T us 19 a d he I s i u de Reche che e d’É udes Médi e a ée Moye -O ie 20 (iReMMO, Pa is) have had he as a speake . Acco di g o Jab , a d i acco da ce wi h Fa o ‘s views, o e of he co e challe ges of he Pales i ia s uggle fo a io al libe a io is he ecessi y o build a psychological u de s a di g a d cul u e ha ca libe a e he people’s mi ds, pa allel o he libe a io of he la d.21
Selec ed pe spec ivesedi
Suicide a d sac ificeedi
Jab dis i guishes be wee he ac of suicide, d ive by despai , a d he ac of sac ifice, d aw by hope.
Suicidal ac io s a e of e egoce ic because he i dividual’s spa k of life has los i s mea i g i i e pe so al e ms. I co as , he self-sac ifici g pe so –eve o he pa hway o dea h–may be full of hope, i deed pe haps oo much so. The ac of self-sac ifice of e i volves a al uis ic dedica io o o he s a d a eage ess o imp ove hei fu u e cha ces. Thei hope is o ex i guish hei ow soul i he se vice of givi g ligh o o he s a d b igh e he oad ahead.22
Rega di g me al heal h s a is ics fo Pales i e, a d pos – auma ic s ess diso de da a specifically, Jab ques io s he me hodology a d defi i io s give by he Wo ld Heal h O ga iza io . I ’s impo a o develop you ow me al heal h s a da ds, she says.23
Colo ial p ivilegeedi
I Decembe 2017, Jab called ou o he I e a io al Associa io of Rela io al Psychoa alysis a d Psycho he apy (IARPP), eques i g ha hey eco side he loca io of hei 2019 a ual co fe e ce, Tel Aviv. Such a i e a io al eve , she a gued, shields Is ael f om public exposu e of i s a oci ies.24 The IARPP boa d would o hea he a gume s.
I a a ow se se, we a e o a poli ical o ga isa io , claims he IARPP leade ship, givi g hem he luxu y of dis a ci g hei psychological expe ie ce f om he occupa io while a he same ime co sumi g he p ivileges of he occupa io . Fo Pales i ia s, he e is o such luxu y; he occupa io ha dep ives us of ou loved o es, spies o ou p iva e ela io ships, s ips ou clo hes f om us , s eals yea s f om ou lives, dep ives us of ou heal h a d co f o s us wi h co i uous g ief a d humilia io , his is i eve y se se ve y pe so al a d ve y psychological. O ly hose who side wi h he powe ful a e kee o ig o e he dialec ical ela io ship be wee he psychological a d poli ical.25
The IARPP posi io igge ed a pe i io , i i ia ed a d ci cula ed oge he wi h he Jewish Voice fo Peace26 (JVP). A g oup of Pales i ia me al heal h cli icia s wi h Is aeli ci ize ship called ou o he IARPP di ec ly,27 as well as mo e ha 30 membe s of he Is aeli o ga iza io Psychoac ive – Me al Heal h P ofessio als fo Huma Righ s (Heb ew: פסיכואקטיב – אנשי ונשות בריאות הנפש למען זכויות אדם).۲۸۲۹
Respo sibili yedi
I Novembe 2015, Jab lau ched a call o me al heal h p ofessio al wo ldwide o side wi h he Pales i ia people,30 alo g wi h he UKUSA Pales i e Me al Heal h Ne wo k. The pe i io is a emi de ha he p ofessio al commu i y has a missio o p omo e he i eg i y of he i dividual,31 a d ha p eco di io s fo his a e social jus ice a d he e joyme of u ive sal huma igh s.31
We call upo me al heal h p ofessio als o e gage i sociopoli ical solida i y wi h he people of Pales i e as a he apeu ic posi io . Dedica i g ou selves o his wo k while he occupa io co i ues will give us he i sigh s we will eed i he fu u e, as facili a o s i volved i he p ocess of eco cilia io . Layi g dow a fou da io of i volveme du i g a ime of c isis p epa es us fo pa icipa i g i a esolu io o he c isis ha will b i g ge ui e ed ess, jus ice, a d full civil igh s o he people of Pales i e.32
Awa ds a d ho o sedi
Jab ‘s esea ch i biochemis y was g a ed he Howa d Hughes Medical I s i u e Awa d i 1998.ci a io eeded I 1999, she be efi ed f om he Wome i Scie ce a d E gi ee i g (WiSE) P og am a he Iowa S a e U ive si y, a d la e eceived a schola ship f om he Dubai Ha va d Fou da io fo Medical Resea ch (DHFMR) i 2014.ci a io eeded She is a fellow a he Ce e fo Scie ce a d Policy9 (U ive si y of Camb idge).
I 2001, Jab eceived he Media Mo i o s Ne wo k’s Awa d fo he a icles o he Seco d I ifada, a d she was elec ed “Pe so ali y of he Yea ” by he eade s of F e ch Muslim websi e Oumma.com i 2015.33
Po ayal i mediaedi
Jab is po ayed i he docume a y fea u e film Beyo d he F o li es: Tales of Resis a ce a d Resilie ce i Pales i e (2017), by F e ch di ec o Alexa d a Dols. The film eceived he Su bi d Awa d fo bes docume a y a he Pales i ia fes ival, Days of Ci ema.3 Beyo d he F o li es i oduces i s audie ce o sumud (A abic: صمود), a co cep ha is bo h close o a d diffe e f om he o e of esilie ce. Jab s esses ha his wo d has bee used by Pales i ia s si ce hei s uggle agai s he B i ish occupa io . She desc ibes esilie ce as o ie ed owa ds a s a e of mi d34 while sumud i cludes a o ie a io o ac io 34 as well. Sumud mea s mai ai i g a s eadfas defia ce o subjuga io a d occupa io ,34 a d has a decisive collec ive dime sio , fo i also sugges s mai ai i g … mo al a d social solida i y.34
The book De iè e les f o s. Ch o iques d’u e psychia e psycho hé apeu e pales i ie e sous occupa io (PMN Edi io s a d Hyb id Pulse, 2018) p ese s a collec io of Jab ‘s colum s a sla ed i o F e ch. I i s eview, ewspape Le Mo de diploma ique, s a ed ha Jab , d awi g o he cli ical obse va io s a d ou ished by F a z Fa o , allows us o see he ex e of he pa hologies ha affec he i dividual a d h ea e social cohesio , as a di ec co seque ce of ‘ he ealm of he mu de ously absu d’ imposed bu he occupyi g powe .35
Jab appea s i wo o he fea u e films. I Af e wa d (2018), Je usalem-bo a d New Yo k-based psychoa alys Of a Bloch co f o s he ow feeli gs abou , a d he e sio s be wee , he ge ocide of Eu opea Jews a d he expulsio of Pales i ia s f om hei la d i 1948, k ow as he Nakba.ci a io eeded I Fa o , hie , aujou d’hui36 (2018), F e ch-Alge ia di ec o Hassa e Mezi e explo es he life a d legacy of F a z Fa o , by i e viewi g pas a d co empo a y ac ivis s who have s uggled agai s i jus ice i va ious cou ies a ou d he wo ld.