The Israeli-Palestine conflict provides the general background against which MDM involvement in Palestine is set. Since 2000 progress, which had been achieved in the 1990s by means of the Oslo Agreement process and the handover of sovereignty of the Palestinian Territories from Israel to the Palestinian Authority, has been compromised by the start of the Second Intifada. Since then, the conflict has been characterised by:
• Large-scale Israeli military operations in the Palestinian Territories with bombings, destruction of Palestinian Authority infrastructure, destruction of civilian homes, imposition of curfews and huge numbers of arrests of Palestinian civilians.
• Israeli army incursions into Palestinian towns accompanied by arrests, searches or destruction of houses and exchanges of fire resulting in dead and wounded.
• The blockade of the Territories by the Israeli army with the setting up of check-points sealing off the main towns on the West Bank, road blocks on numerous Palestinian routes, imposing of mobile check-points, implementation of a system of travel authorisations and permits and the building of a security wall inside the Territories itself.
• Palestinian suicide bombers used against the Israeli civilian population.
• Confrontations in the Occupied Territories between Israeli and Palestinian civilians or between the Palestinians and the Israeli army.
• Inter-Palestinian conflict, particularly in Gaza, as well as a huge rise in crime and acts of violence committed between families and groups, and inter-Palestinian kidnappings, indicating a collapse of public authority.
Since the death of Yasser Arafat and the election of Abu Mazen as president of the Palestinian Authority, Israel has eased repressive measures imposed on the West Bank while maintaining the blockade of certain towns and thereby continuing to impede the movement of goods and people. At the same time, tensions between Palestinian factions remain high. The accession to power by Hamas in Gaza in June 2007 deepened yet further the gulf between the West Bank and Gaza, imposing a de facto situation where Fatah, under Abou Amzen, governs from Ramallah and negotiates with the Israelis, while Hamas rules Gaza where the population continues to suffer repression. On another front, Hamas has since 2008 pursued a policy of firing Qassam rockets onto Israeli soil, sowing terror among the populations of towns such as Sderot and Ashdod.
The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Territories has become extremely precarious. A permanent state of insecurity is accompanied by a significant decline in living conditions for the Palestinian population. According to the OCHA , the rise in poverty among the population since the start of the Second Intifada, combined with the impossibility of accessing key services, particularly health and education, has led to a considerable erosion of development indicators for the Palestinian population. A World Bank report in November 2004 stated that almost half of Palestinians were living below the poverty line. The economy remains severely depressed compared to pre-Intifada levels.
Moreover, construction of the wall continues despite condemnation from the International Court of Justice, along with the seizure of land and the destruction of homes. The wall, which in some places penetrates several kilometres inside the Palestinian Territories, is intended to separate Israel from the West Bank, and threatens to restrict yet further the freedom of movement of civilian populations. It also contributes to a severe worsening of the economic crisis in the Palestinian Territories, particularly in the Jerusalem sector.
The general aim of MDM - France intervention in Palestine is to improve the physical and mental health of the Palestinian populations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
In Nablus:
Since 2000, MDM has been working in the field of mental health, initially in Ramallah (2000-2002) and then, since 2003, in Nablus. A field-based needs assessment in the District of Nablus highlighted the extent of psychological problems within the population, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the existing healthcare system. In view of the needs identified, the response from health professionals and their enthusiastic response to training opportunities, as well as the absence of any healthcare alternatives for psychological/psychiatric cases, MDM, already a recognised player in the field of mental health in the area, considered it essential to pursue its mental health programme. MDM is seeking to develop an operational network of mental health professionals, particularly by means of various training initiatives.
There are currently three strands to MDM intervention:
- Community and destigmatisation initiatives with populations in Nablus
- Participation in a national mental health strategy, in association with the MOH and UNDP, supporting the opening of 2 medico-psychological community health centres in Nablus and Jenine
- A school counselling programme aimed at children in 4 villages around Nablus
In Gaza:
Established in Gaza since February 2002, MDM has implemented long-term programmes to improve medical emergency care by intervening at each stage of emergency treatment. MDM has also responded on many occasions to humanitarian crises:
- First Aid
- Pre-hospital Emergency Care
- Intra-hospital Emergency Care
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Responding to and Anticipating Humanitarian Crises
In the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem Governorate
MDM-F has since June 2007 been leading a programme to support primary health care centres belonging to the Palestinian Ministry of Health (currently 15 in Gaza and 9 in Jerusalem) and funded by ECHO. The programme has involved improving and strengthening the skills of health centre staff – both nursing and administrative – through day-to-day in-service training, improving running of health centres, developing a health education programme for the populations catered for in partnership with the Palestinian NGO, Palestinian Medical Relief Society, and finally equipping and renovating centres as required. This programme is the main activity in Gaza and in Jerusalem, and will continue in 2009 if ECHO maintains its support.
MDM International Network:
Other MDM delegations are present in the Palestinian Territories:
- MDM-Spain has set up a mental health programme in the District of Salfit, close to Nablus, and is planning to launch a community medico-psychological centre similar to those planned for Nablus and Jenine. The team comprises two expatriate workers.
- MDM-Switzerland has set up a psychosocial welfare programme in Hebron in partnership with a Palestinian association focusing on non-violence and working with children and adolescents. The team comprises one expatriate worker.
- Lastly, MDM-Belgium has just completed an assessment mission looking at women’s mental health in the District of Hebron with a view to potentially launching a project during 2008.
An international coordinator was for a time posted in Jerusalem, but left at the beginning of 2007. The post of international coordinator is currently being reviewed by the various delegations. In the meantime, responsibility for the safety of the different expatriate groups, and occasionally for representing them, falls on the MDM-France general coordinator.
The mains duties and responsibilities of the Coordinator General:
- Follow-up of programmes
- Mission Management and Organisation
- Human Resources Management
- Managing Safety
- Institutional Representation and Coordination
- Communication
- Securing Funding
This mission may rapidly evolve depending on the situation and may at any time involve switching the programmes to an emergency footing. Where there is a fully staffed coordinating team and good technical skills in the field/France (i.e. technical experts on specialist programmes), the desired candidate profile is that of someone with excellent all-round humanitarian skills rather than technical expertise. The candidate must be able to manage on-site programmes and teams, monitor the safety of expatriate and national teams, propose reorientation of activities where necessary, demonstrate good managerial skills in guiding staff, support the teams and be a good communicator.
Departure: 30/10/2008
Duration: 1 year
Status: salaried
Profile:
- Experience of working as an MDM Coordinator is essential
- Experience in running a team and a flair for organisation
- A good understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and political challenges faced in the Middle East are required along with, if possible, some previous experience in the Middle East
- Must be physically and mentally robust in view of the workload and exhausting environment
- Previous experience of testimony/communication is essential, as is managing safety in a war situation.
- Be capable of taking a global view, keeping a distance and resisting being drawn into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Responsive, flexible and creative
- Good IT skills
- French and English : spoken, read and written
- Some knowledge in Arabic would be useful
- Driving License obligatory