GAZA-BASED psychiatrist Eyad al-Sarraj has won Sweden’s Olof Palme prize for his dedication to reconciliation and peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
The Olof Palme memorial fund cited his “indefatigable struggle for common sense” as a key factor in its decision. In his work, he “stood on the side of the individual human being, regardless of nationality, gender or position”.
“He has brought into the light the destructive influence of repression on mental health. He has shown the connections arising between confinement, hopelessness, desperation and violence, and how this is neglected by both Palestinian and Israeli authorities.”
Dr Sarraj (66), who studied in Alexandria and London, is the first psychiatrist to practise in Gaza, where he established the Gaza community mental health programme, an independent organisation focused on treating the traumas and stresses of living under Israeli occupation. The programme’s seafront offices were bombed by Israel during its 2008-09 military offensive, which killed 1,400 and wounded more than 5,000 Gazans.
Asked shortly after that war how many he believed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress, he replied: “Ninety-nine per cent, including me.”
When told of the award, he expressed surprise. “I am proud and happy to receive this prize but I consider that the real heroes are the victims of violence, torture and war, not me.
“This prize gives me hope and encourages me to continue to fight to defend those whose rights have been abused in Palestine, by the Israelis or the Palestinian Authority, and to work for justice and peace.”
In 1998, as head of the Independent Commission for Citizens’ Rights, Dr Sarraj was imprisoned twice for exposing arbitrary arrests and torture by the Palestinian Authority. Forgiven by former president Yasser Arafat, he served as a consultant to the Palestinian delegation at the failed Camp David peace talks.
After undergoing treatment for cancer several years ago, Dr Sarraj promptly returned to Gaza and resumed work. He will receive the award and €56,000 in prize money at a formal ceremony in the Swedish parliament on January 28th. The award, established to honour the former Swedish premier murdered in 1986, seeks to promote peace and disarmament and combat racism. Among earlier laureates are former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and Myanmar’s democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi.
