MSF staff testimony

Noura Arafat is an intercultural mediator for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). She has lived in Nablus all her life, where she helps women from her community access the mental health support they need.

The war in Gaza has had a devastating impact on people living in the West Bank, including Nablus. Greater movement restrictions and increased violence by settlers and Israeli forces have displaced thousands of Palestinians, and access to basic services, including medical and mental healthcare has diminished.

MSF teams, including local and international psychologists, provide mental health support to people in need in the region.

“Every single aspect of our life is really affected by the occupation.”

“[People] think it’s just a conflict. To me, it’s not,” says Noura.

“When you see people suffering psychologically with different disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder for example, you think it’s simple. But when you delve into the patient’s history, it’s because a father has been imprisoned for life or because the patient has never seen her father…. Every single aspect of our life is really affected by the occupation.”

Noura facilitates sessions between patients and MSF psychologists by interpreting and mediating. She also briefs psychologists on Palestine’s culture, history, background and unique aspects of the community.

“My role is important because without the interpretation first, there isn’t any session for the psychologist or the patient. And when the psychologist knows more about [the patient’s background], they have a better understanding.”

Other than MSF, there are limited mental health services available in Nablus.

“Women in Palestine, in general, and in Nablus, have all kinds of challenges,” says Noura. “Almost every day, we lose a Palestinian. We work with mothers every day. They grieve the loss of their sons, their husbands, their children, which is really sad. Sometimes it’s a lifelong grief that has no solution.”

“These women know their strengths. They know how to continue their lives. They know how to cope with the difficulties because these traumas and difficulties are ongoing. But we try to give them the means and skills to be more resilient, to cope and to find hope in life, which is really very special to my heart.”

Noura’s interview has been edited for brevity.