DW Finds Shared Trauma, Ignores Shared Occupation
What DW’s 'writing with trauma' piece on Israeli and Palestinian authors forgets to mention is the 76 years of differential trauma. One side carries the emotional scars of being the occupier, settler, and well-funded military power; the other, the generational wounds of Nakba, displacement, blockade, and daily violence. This isn't 'shared trauma' in a vacuum; it’s a direct consequence of a
military occupation and forced displacement, consistently backed by billions in U.S. aid—$3.8 billion annually, according to the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding. Presenting this as symmetrical suffering ignores the fundamental power dynamic, much like discussing the 'trauma' of a jailer and the jailed. How considerate of the mainstream media to finally acknowledge Palestinian pain, as long as
it's neatly packaged alongside Israeli pain, with no inconvenient questions about who holds the keys. One might ponder why the trauma of occupation becomes palatable only when paired with the trauma of the occupier. (It appears to be the editorial guideline for 'balance'.)