Psychotherapists plunged into turmoil over choosing Jerusalem


September 6, 2014
Sarah Benton


British Therapists Condemn Conference n Jerusalem

By David Sperlinger
September 05, 2014

The European Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapists (EABCT) is an organization that brings together therapy associations from 38 countries in Europe. In 2011 its Israeli branch invited the EABCT to hold its 45th Annual Conference in Jerusalem in 2015. The Board of EABCT accepted the invitation.

The Conference website says that Israel, “which is the focus of much international interest, is a modern, diverse country with something for everyone. It is a multicultural country which has developed significantly over the last century, having absorbed great numbers of people from a wide variety of countries and cultures. (…) We also plan panels/symposia on the potential of CBT regarding political negotiations, peace-making and conflict resolution, all this in addition to the common themes of EABCT congresses. Our vision for the conference is expressed in the name of the conference: CBT: A Road to Hope and Compassion for People in Conflict.”

Despite these optimistic aims, opposition to the Conference is gathering momentum. At its recent AGM, the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (6,500 members) debated a resolution that described the decision to hold the conference in Jerusalem as “regrettable and divisive”. David Raines presented the resolution, along with Mohammed Mukhaimar, who is a Palestinian CBT therapist based in the UK and founder of Sumud Palestine . They pointed out how ironic it was that the choice of venue would bring the conference closer than it had ever been to a population with massive unmet mental health needs, but would inevitably preclude the attendance of the mental health professionals who work with them because of, for example, the difficulty of obtaining travel permits and of getting through Israeli checkpoints.

During the debate a statement in response to this motion from the Israeli Association was read out. Nevertheless, the motion was passed with an overwhelming majority and with only two votes against. At least one of those invited to be keynote speakers at the Israeli conference has withdrawn from participation in the Conference. The full text of the resolution was:

The BABCP regret the decision of the European Association of Behaviour and Cognitive Therapies to hold the 2015 EABCT congress in Jerusalem. We believe that the choice of Jerusalem as the host city will do little or nothing to promote unity and inclusion but inevitably leads to division and exclusion. We recognise our members concerns that:

1: their attendance at a conference in Jerusalem may be used to promote and or legitimate Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian land.

2: the choice of Jerusalem as the host city precludes the attendance of many people including Palestinian mental health professionals from the West Bank and Gaza, EABCT members who support the academic boycott of Israel and others who, by attending would face the disapprobation of their communities.

3: The Israel Cognitive & Behavior Therapies Association (ICBTA) chose to disregard our members’ recommendation in 2012 that a less insensitive venue be found.
We urge those members of the BABCP planning on attending or presenting at the conference to consider the statement made by the U.K Palestinian Mental Health Forum (UKPMHN) in relation to the conference.

UKPMHN  is a recently formed organization of mental health practitioners who share a concern for the oppression of the Palestinian people and a commitment to upholding human rights, international law and democratic values. UKPMHN issued a statement in July  encouraging those therapists who might be thinking of attending to recognise the potential implications of doing so. The statement encouraged “therapists to respond to what Palestinian mental health professionals have requested of us, in their efforts to find a non-violent road to re-structuring relations between the Palestinian and Israeli communities. Their position is clear. At their last conference the Palestine Union of Social Workers and Psychologists, joining with many other mental health organisations, have asked that we do not participate in their oppression by normalising a status quo that means the denial of their civil rights, exclusion from the protections of international law and from the social norms embodied in the International Declaration of Human Rights. Yet this is exactly what participating in this conference would amount to. (…) Our message to those who are considering attending this conference is this: find out what is going on in Palestine/Israel. It is important not to protest later ‘we didn’t realise what was really happening; we wouldn’t have gone if we’d known it was like that.’ Most important, perhaps, is to find out how Palestinian mental health professionals – our counterparts – would view participation in this event and to not support those who contribute to their dehumanisation.”

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