Little is known about medical and juridical (medicolegal) responses to sexual abuse in Palestinian society. Conventional wisdom posits that the actions of the medicolegal community help victims of sexual abuse and deter offenders. This study focuses on the prevailing practice of imposing a virginity test (IVT) on women in Palestinian society when questions of sexual abuse or perceived misconduc...

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is characterized by its unknown outcomes and consequences for the families involved. The purpose of this study was to identify family processes under conditions of prolonged uncertainty. Data were collected from both Israeli and Palestinian families in the West Bank by means of semi-structured interviews. Qualitative and quantitative analyses showed cross-c...

This research examined virtual-human interactions as a new form of simulated contact between members of groups in conflict. A virtual human representing an outgroup member (a Palestinian) interacted with 60 Jewish Israeli participants in an experimental study. We manipulated postural mimicry by the virtual interaction partner during a conversation about a sensitive conflict issue. Mimicry incre...

Amid the frenzied consumption of villas, clothing, technology, and services characteristic of up-scale living in Amman, the most conspicuous of the conspicuous consumers are popularly identified as wealthy Palestinians who entered Jordan in the aftermath of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. This presentation will focus on these “returnees” to Jordan – some of whom had never lived in Jordan pri...

This study examined children’s psychological symptoms, particularly aggression, in the context of family characteristics, exposure to political violence, and nationality. We examined the association among Palestinian and Israeli children’s and mothers’ attachment (measured by self-report questionnaires), exposure to political violence, and psychopathology. The sample consisted of 29 Palestinian...

Although most countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are experiencing an increase in the age at marriage, early marriage in Palestine continues to be relatively high. About one in 10 Palestinian women ages 15 to 19 is married, although there are inter-regional differences (see Table 1). Yet, an increasing number of women are delaying marriage and remaining single—also about one in...