Mental health in Amman, the other side of a wounded Middle East
Two days after the attack on the Allenby crossing, Jordan goes to the polls with a population deeply marked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the government maintains its delicate diplomatic balancing act, Caritas Jordan continues its work in support of the local and refugee communities, with a particular focus on the latest arrivals from Sudan. For Lana Snobar, “Dealing with mental health significantly improves our communities.”
Amman (AsiaNews) – “We are one nation. Everything that affects Palestinians directly affects Jordanians (more than half of whom are of Palestinian origin),” says Lana Snobar, coordinator of the Mental Health and Protection Unit of Caritas Jordan, speaking to AsiaNews. “Our mental health is compromised by the fact that we are witnesses to genocide and cannot do anything."
Until now, by virtue of the 1994 peace agreements with Israel, key for Jordan’s supply of water and energy, King Abdullah II and his government have managed to maintain peaceful relations with the Jewish state while speaking out for Palestine and providing aid to the Gaza Strip.
Although this has appeased popular anger, a segment of the population remains opposed to the status quo. This is a major issue on the day when five million Jordanians are called to the polls to elect 138 members of parliament.
In the streets of Amman, where Friday protests continue, including in favour of Hamas, scenes of jubilation were reported in the wake of the attack at the Allenby crossing, in which three Israelis were killed on Sunday morning.
At the meeting point where Jordan meets the West Bank, about 20 km from Jericho, a man identified as Maher Dhiab Hussein al Jazi, a 39-year-old Jordanian originally from Udhruh, east of Petra, opened fire after getting out of the lorry he was driving.
This one action is unprecedented since 7 October 2023. “We are surrounded by a murderous ideology,” Netanyahu thundered, while the gesture was hailed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad who called it a “heroic attack”.
For its part, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the incident in a short and sparse statement released "14 hours after the attack", a fact that Israeli media did not fail to highlight.
After the border was closed, the crossing was reopened to pedestrians yesterday morning, but it remains off-limits to trucks, a decision taken following contacts between the IDF and Shin Ben with their Jordanian counterparts.
Even if the violence seems to be the work of a lone wolf, the mental anguish experienced by the Jordanian population because of the situation, to which Snobar refers, is widespread.
“Let us pray to God that He may grant Jordan strength and stability under the leadership of King Abdallah II and his family,” said Card Pierbattista Pizzaballa in a message to the Christian faithful ahead of today's elections.
Since 1967, Caritas Jordan has helped Jordan's large refugee population, most of whom come from Palestine, Syria, Iraq and, more recently, Yemen and Sudan, as well as vulnerable local groups.
The assistance is not only practical, like large-scale humanitarian aid to Gaza in coordination with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Caritas operating in the enclave. The charity, which has 26 centres across the country, also offers psychological support, despite widespread scepticism towards mental health issues.
“Dealing with mental health significantly improves our communities, fostering acceptance of those with disorders, reducing their isolation, and providing critical support to improve their overall well-being and lives," explains Lana Snobar, a clinical psychologist with 12 years of experience, who heads a "diverse and talented" team of 35 caregivers.
“The process begins with thorough identification and assessment to gain a clear understanding of each individual's needs. This is followed by prevention or intervention sessions. We often send people to other NGOs or CBOs[*] to ensure specific needs are met," she notes.
This work is indispensable at this point in history. Given the ordeal Palestinians are going through, many Jordanians are undertaking personal initiatives, raising money, and protesting to show their support.
“They require our support, especially when it comes to mental health support. What is happening goes against humanity itself," Lana Snobar adds. But this attention is also intended for people who are guests in the country.
The Caritas centre in Ashrafiya, a district east of Amman, is one of the places where the Mental Health and Protection unit is busy every day, with individual and group sessions on issues such as bullying and gender-based violence, intended especially for children, young people, and women, from Syria, and more recently Sudan.
This African country has plunged into a multifaceted humanitarian crisis, with food shortages and environmental degradation, which some 13 million people displaced, with more and more arriving in Jordan "by plane following asylum requests", explains Snobar.
“They are generally well received, but because of the colour of their skin they are bullied, especially children in schools,” she bemoans.
In the Hashemite Kingdom, they are victims of multiple discrimination, in addition to what they already suffered because of their refugee status. Reports of violence, especially against women, are a daily occurrence.
“They have multiple needs, including money for rent and healthcare, and protection for women resulting from the trauma they suffered in Sudan. Given the limited job opportunities and challenges of creating a secure future for their families, we are considering giving them the opportunity to settle elsewhere," she goes on to say.
Caritas Jordan also meets their needs by providing all kinds of services, prevention, and intervention, including incentives for protection, and care for their mental health.
This forward-looking mission is accompanied by the need to raise awareness in the population to remove the stigma and the great gap "that must be addressed" in access to mental health services for the young and seniors.
GATEWAY TO THE EAST IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO THE MIDDLE EAST. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE IT EVERY TUESDAY? TO SUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE.
[*] Community-based organisations.
.png)
