Abstract
An encounter between Palestinian parents of children with cancer and Israeli medical staff is a very special situation where "potential enemies" interact in a caring, trusting and intimate relationship for long periods of time. Our aim was to study the psychological and cultural encounter in order to understand the dynamics involved. The study is a qualitative one. Data was collected by way of structured in-depth interviews. Participants were physicians and nurses employed in the department, and Palestinian parents accompanying their children who were hospitalized during the research period. SIX MAIN THEMES EMERGED FROM THE ANALYSIS OF THE INTERVIEWS: (1) The decision to come to Israel for treatment. (2) The "meeting points" of the two peoples: the Israeli check points and the Palestinian Authority permits. (3) Encounter with the Israeli hospital. (4) Relationship between medical staff and parents. (5) Language and cultural barriers. (6) Emotions, thoughts and behaviors during high security tension. The interviews depict a poignant picture of the unique encounter between Israeli Doctors and nurses and Palestinian parents. The psychological mechanism used by parents and doctors is "splitting"-having a dichotomized, simple emotional-perceptual picture of a situation with no conflicts. Nurses use another psychological mechanism in addition which enables them to contain the paradox and the conflict.
Highlights
IntroductionThe encounter between Palestinian families of children with cancer and Israeli medical staff is, in our view, an exceptional situation of people who are involved in armed struggle and are required to be in a long-term relationships of care involving trust and intimacy
The treatment of children with cancer entails accompanying them on a long journey of fear, pain, hope, anger and despair.The encounter between Palestinian families of children with cancer and Israeli medical staff is, in our view, an exceptional situation of people who are involved in armed struggle and are required to be in a long-term relationships of care involving trust and intimacy
The interviews depict a poignant picture of the unique encounter between Israeli Doctors and nurses and Palestinian parents
Summary
The encounter between Palestinian families of children with cancer and Israeli medical staff is, in our view, an exceptional situation of people who are involved in armed struggle and are required to be in a long-term relationships of care involving trust and intimacy. Medical staff that cares for people at war is not a new phenomenon. Most such medical occurrences are characterized by one of the following: 1. Doctors who treat “enemy” patients, mostly in emergency circumstances, where long-term personal relationships are not a factor. 2. Doctors who treat people in a war that does not involve their nationality. European physicians who work with war victims in Asia or Africa, whereby interpersonal relationships in such circumstances do not necessarily involve an “enemy”
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