Does trauma prevent peace?

After all, lasting peace must be created on a small scale, at a local level and through daily interactions. However, the shadows of the past in the form of trauma often stand in the way.
Trauma is the normal reaction of the body and mind to an abnormal, overwhelming event. This could be an earthquake, a bombing, or sexual assault. Traumas are highly individual and cannot be compared. If they remain unprocessed, they often trigger new violence in conflicts, whereby people reinforce and radicalize each other in their anger and hatred of others. In addition, traumas are passed on from generation to generation. Dealing with traumatic experiences appropriately is therefore an essential prerequisite for lasting and sustainable peace.

In Israel and Palestine, the attack of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza are egregious events that have traumatized both individuals and entire populations. These collective traumas add to the traumatic experiences that have shaped the history of both populations and the region: 420,000 Holocaust survivors found a home in Israel by 1951, making up a quarter of the total population of the state founded in 1948. In the same year, around 750,000 Palestinians were expelled during the Nakba from their former homes, around 80% of the Palestinian population living on Israeli territory at the time.  

In order to avoid further traumatization in this conflict, the violence must first stop. This includes an end to all fighting and the release of Israeli hostages. The violence by settlers and the military against Palestinians in the West Bank, which has been steadily increasing for years, must also come to an end.
For many years, committed peacebuilding organizations such as the members of the Alliance for Middle East Peace have been working to facilitate meetings between people of Israeli and Palestinian origin at local and national level. These encounters serve to counteract prejudice, hatred and the dehumanization of the other side. Recognizing and acknowledging the suffering of the other is an essential prerequisite.
The organizations often work within each group first, in order to work through the difficult events in a trusting environment and to provide the space to deal with individual and collective traumas. In societies where trauma is often stigmatized or ignored, this step should not be underestimated.
At the same time, the future shapes the present. People in Palestine and Israel should now be given the opportunity to work on their future and create a vision of a life in security and peace, regardless of political agendas. If people have this – in the best case, unifying – goal in mind, they can work toward it on a small scale, step by step, so that setbacks and obstacles seem more manageable.

The example of South Africa shows how important this is. Citizens there have been developing a new social model since the 1950s. And while the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was still dealing with the crimes of the past in the 1990s, this new society became a reality.
Outside help is very important in achieving this. The international community, and Germany in particular, should support civil society organizations and peacebuilders from Israel and Palestine in creating safe spaces where people can meet and work together towards a peaceful future.
The massive cuts in funding for peace work planned for Germany’s 2025 federal budget are the wrong signal. Peacebuilding activities and encounters at local level are the basis for making peace possible for the long term in spite of the traumas people have experienced.