TY - JOUR T1 - Stories from Palestine and Israel JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 216 LP - 217 DO - 10.3399/bjgp09X420158 VL - 59 IS - 560 AU - Lesley Morrison Y1 - 2009/03/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/59/560/216.abstract N2 - Few could have watched the recent coverage of Gaza without feeling saddened and shocked. The most powerful stories, the ones which really connected with viewers and provided them with some understanding of what was happening, were those of ordinary people and families describing their experiences.Our family visited the West Bank and Israel in November, before the war started, and heard many young people's stories which helped us towards some understanding of the persistent tension and the current conflict. Here are three.The story of Aaron (not his real name), a young Israeli who loves his country but hates his government's treatment of the Palestinians and was hoping to avoid military service. But the call came. He hid from the Israeli Defence Force for 3 months, made use of the time studying psychiatric symptoms and treatment and then succeeded in convincing three psychiatrists that he was deeply depressed and could not be trusted with a gun. They exempted him but his life in Israeli society will now be difficult.The second story is of Sara, the 19-year-old daughter of Israeli friends who is doing her national service and had, after the compulsory gun training, been working in a school for children with severe learning difficulties. When the war started she was deployed to one of the border towns to spend nights in an air-raid shelter comforting frightened children while feeling very vulnerable herself. Her parents were worried; what parents … ER -