National identity
Despite their long history of dispossession children always referred to themselves as proudly Palestinian. They reported feelings of happiness and comfort in seeing the Palestinian flag, demonstrating a strong attachment to their country and a powerful sense of belonging to a shared national identity.
“I drew the Palestinian flag because the place I love more is my country. I belong here. […] I feel strong and good within my people and my country”. (Nablus, 10, male)
This sense of belonging enhanced children’s feelings of validation and pride, which helps to sustain their need for self-definition while also lessening feelings of isolation (in accord with Khalidi, 1997; Hammad, 2011).
However, this feeling of belonging, when related to the perception of being on the ‘defeated’ side of the conflict, was also generating feelings of powerlessness, loss of hope, and passivity, which suppresses the child’s well-being and will for action. For instance, an 8-year-old boy, standing few miles away from the siege in Gaza, expressed his sense of frustration about the demonstration taking place every Friday:
“When I’m here and I see the barrier, I feel I have lost because we have lost lands and our country is already stolen. Like this I feel that we are defeated and that there is nothing that we can do”.