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December 2015

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IMEMC reports: “Israeli soldiers fired, on Tuesday evening, two tear gas bombs into the al-Makassed Hospital, in the at-Tour town, in occupied Jerusalem, causing many Palestinians, including patients, to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation. Hospital administration said the gas from the soldiers reached the Children’s Ward and the Intensive Care Unit, causing many patients, including children, and visiting family members to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation. It added that one woman, accompanying her child in the children’s ward, suffered burns in her hand after carrying one of the gas bombs and throwing it outside.”

Lauren Jappe accompanies doctors from the Ramallah-based organization Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture as they visit clients in the Jalazone refugee camp. The doctors are meeting with Palestinian families dealing with ongoing trauma resulting from a family member being the victim of torture while in Israeli custody. Jappe writes, “It is 2015, and there are now several generations of trauma within Palestine, layered and complex and most going without treatment. What will be the next nightmare?”

The growth of ethnic, racial, and religious hatred in Israel, often taking violent forms, has been a striking development of recent years. However, the contrast with earlier periods of the state’s existence should not be exaggerated. Certain features – for instance, mass processions changing “Death to Arabs!” – may be new, but prejudice, intolerance, and xenophobia were already widespread half a century ago and their violent expression was not unknown. This is one of the conclusions to be drawn from revisiting the work of a penetrating critic of Israeli society who, regrettably, is now almost forgotten – the social psychologist Georges R. Tamarin.

On this #GivingTuesday, we are excited to introduce to the Mondoweiss community our new Director of Development and Outreach, Tova Perlmutter. Tova’s responsibility is to increase Mondoweiss’s income, but also to help connect the members of our community in useful and rewarding ways. Those of you who have met Tova since she started helping us last year cannot fail to notice her warmth, high energy and boundless excitement about building the movement for justice in Palestine. Your support for Mondoweiss on #GivingTuesday will help us continue to bring you in-depth reporting on the fight for Palestinian rights—on the ground, in the U.S., and around the world.