GATEWAY TO THE EAST Amman. Mental health, the other side of the wounded Middle East

Two days after the attack at Allenby Pass, Jordan went to the polls with a population deeply affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the government maintains its delicate diplomatic balance, Caritas Jordan continues to carry out its work to help the local community and refugees, with a particular focus on the latest arrivals: people from Sudan. Lana Snobar: “Taking care of mental health helps to improve our communities.”

Amman () – “We are one nation. Everything that affects the Palestinians has a direct impact on the Jordanians (more than half of whom are of Palestinian origin, ed.)”, says the Palestinian leader. Lana Snobar, director of the Mental Health and Protection unit at Caritas Jordan. “Our mental health is affected by witnessing genocide and not being able to do anything.”

So far, under the 1994 peace accords with Israel – crucial for Jordan because of the water and energy supplies they guarantee – King Abdullah II and the government have managed to balance peaceful relations with pro-Palestinian statements and massive aid to the Gaza Strip. This is of great importance on the day when 5 million Jordanians have been called to the polls to elect 138 members of parliament. Although this has calmed popular anger, there remains a segment of the population that is opposed to the status quo. On the streets of Amman – where Friday protests continue with slogans in support of Hamas – there were also scenes of jubilation at the attack on the Allenby Pass, which left three Israeli victims on Sunday morning.

At the meeting point between Jordan and the West Bank, located about 20 kilometers from Jericho, a man identified as Maher Dhiab Hussein al Jazi, a 39-year-old Jordanian from Udhruh, east of Petra, opened fire after getting out of the truck he was driving. This is a unique action, which has no precedent in the months following October 7, 2023. “We are surrounded by a murderous ideology,” thundered Netanyahu. The initiative was hailed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who defined it as a “heroic attack”. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry published a condemnation “14 hours after the attack”, underline the Tel Aviv media, stating that the text was “brief” and “sparse”. Israel completely closed its border and reopened the passage to pedestrians only yesterday morning, although it remains closed to trucks. The decision was made following contacts between the IDF and the Shin Bet and the Jordanian counterpart.

Even if the attack appears to be the work of an isolated attacker, the suffering caused by the psychological instability in the Jordanian population mentioned by Snobar is widespread. “We pray to God to keep Jordan strong and stable under the leadership of Sovereign Abdullah II and his family,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa in a message to the Christian faithful ahead of today’s elections.

Since 1967, Caritas Jordan has focused on helping Jordan’s large refugee population, made up mainly of people from Palestine, Syria, Iraq and, more recently, Yemen and Sudan, as well as the vulnerable local population. Aid is not only of a concrete nature, such as the huge amounts of food and medicine that have been sent to the Gaza Strip in coordination with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Caritas, which operates in the enclave. The organization, which has 26 centers in the country, also offers psychological support, despite widespread skepticism regarding mental health issues.

“Working in the mental health field significantly improves our communities by promoting acceptance of people with disorders, reducing their isolation, and providing critical support to improve their well-being and overall life,” says Lana Snobar, a clinical psychologist with 12 years’ experience behind her, who leads a “heterogeneous and talented” team of 35 operators. “The process begins with a thorough identification and assessment to have a clear understanding of each person’s needs. Prevention or intervention sessions and meetings follow. We often refer to other NGOs or CBOs so that they can receive responses to more specific needs,” she explains.

This is an essential task at this time because, in the face of the sufferings suffered by the Palestinian people, many Jordanians are taking personal initiatives – mainly through fundraising and protests – to show their support. “They need our help, especially when it comes to mental health. What is happening goes against humanity itself,” says Lana Snobar.

The care is also aimed at people from other countries. The Caritas centre in Ashrafiya, in the eastern part of Amman, is one of the places where the Mental Health and Protection unit carries out its work on a daily basis, with individual sessions and collective modules on topics such as discrimination and gender violence, aimed primarily at Syrian children, young people and women, and recently also Sudanese. Because more and more people are arriving in Jordan – after having submitted asylum applications – on flights from this African country, overwhelmed by a multifaceted crisis – humanitarian, food and ecological – that has caused 13 million displaced people and refugees, explains Snobar.

“They are generally welcomed, but because of the colour of their skin, they are victims of harassment and discrimination, especially children, in schools.” Their stay in the Hashemite Kingdom makes them victims of multiple discriminations, which add to the one they already suffer due to their refugee status. The stories of daily violence, especially against women, are countless. “They have various needs, including money for rent and health care, and protection for women due to the trauma they have suffered in Sudan. Given the limited job opportunities and the challenges of creating a safe future for their families, we are considering giving them the possibility of settling elsewhere,” she continues. Caritas Jordan also provides them with all kinds of prevention and intervention services, without neglecting attention to their mental health. A mission that bets on the future, accompanied by the effort to raise awareness among the population and break down the stigma and the large gap “that needs to be addressed” in access to this type of services, between young and old.

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