Les vingt-cinq secouristes norvégiens qui ont participé au stage avaient vécu l'horreur d'une attaque terroriste à laquelle ils ne sont pas habitués. Contrairement à Israël qui, depuis le milieu des années 1970, est victime régulièrement d'attaques perpétrées par des terroriste palestiniens et arabes. Confronté à cette situation le MDA a développé une très grande expertise (hélas) dans le traitement des traumatismes et du syndrome de stress post-traumatique affectant les victimes d'actes terroristes et ceux qui leur portent secours.
Les secouristes norvégiens souffrant de troubles consécutif à l'attentat ont suivi - à l'invitation du MDA qui a pris en charge leurs frais de déplacement et d'hébergement - un stage pour les aider à surmonter leur souffrance. Mais. Oui il y a un mais. La Croix-Rouge norvégienne n'a pas divulgué que 25 de ses membres en grande souffrance étaient allés chercher un précieux soutien en Israël - car cela aurait très mal perçu - ou selon le terme convenu: controversé. Jusqu'à qu'un journal brise le silence: Utøya-mannskap på terrorkurs i Israel. Finalement, la Croix-Rouge a dû admettre que le stage avait été très bénéfique.
"Israël a beaucoup d'expérience dans le traitement des victimes de terrorisme, et j'espère que nous n'en aurons jamais besoin. Ce sont eux qui nous ont contactés car ils voulaient faire quelque chose pour la Norvège. Leur aide pendant le cours fut fantastique", a déclaré Alvheim Dubrefjord.
Thorleif Lønningen de Porsgrunn : "La manière dont ils prennent en charge les secouristes après les accidents est tout simplement remarquable".
L'infirmier Asaf Ovadia du MDA a expliqué: "Nous sommes probablement le seul pays au monde qui comprend réellement ce qu'ils ont éprouvé. Le stage que nous leur avons proposé nous avons partagé nos connaissances avec nos amis norvégiens".
Extraits:
Tremendous impression
Nurse Asaf Ovadia of Magen David Adoma says the tragedy in Norway made a tremendous impact.
"It hurt to see the horror of the gruesome attacks you experienced, and this, in a country that is not involved in a conflict with others. We felt with you, and personally I thought of the many people who helped during Utøya tragedy. We know that it is very necessary to offer treatment for rescue crews who experienced such horrible things", says Asaf Ovadia.
He said Israel has long experience and possess a lot of knowledge on how rescue personnel need help to process the experience and move on after terrorist attacks and assaults.
"We are perhaps the only country in the world who really understands what they have gone through. In this course we share our knowledge with our friends from Norway", Ovadia says.
Follow up treatments.
He talks about the treatment of Israeli rescue personnel who have worked tirelessly to save lives after countless attacks in Israel since the mid-1970s.
"When you come to such a place, everything you see and experience will become lodged in your brain for the rest of your life. We show how important it is to talk about it, and assures the crew that there is nothing wrong with those who see the terrible scenes over and over again. Here we teach them to recognize this and talk about it", says Ovadia.
He believes it is the first time Magen David Adoma has invited foreign guests on such programs. Six Israeli rescue personnel in training also participate in the course.
Shocked
Ellen Mørch Haaland, who is a board member of the Red Cross Norway, says she was shocked and almost paralyzed when she first heard about the explosion in Oslo and the tragedy of Utøya. She went immediately to London where she attended the emergency meetings of the Red Cross, and the day after, she left for Sundvollen where the affected youth from Utøya were taken care of.
"It is one of the toughest experiences in my life. It was a mixture of joy and sorrow. Some cheered the fact that they found their loved ones again, others were brokenhearted because they waited in vain", says Mørch Haaland.
Does something to you
The Chairman of the national council for Red Cross Rescue Teams Jahn Petter Berentsen says it is exactly this experience of joy and despair, that does something to people on the emotional level.
"It was quite surreal, it took several days to digest the impressions. You must have experienced something like this, in order to understand what we experienced", says Berrentsen.
Both put great value on the course in Israel.
"The most important thing I learned is perhaps the way the Israelis handle the fear. They refuse to walk around and be afraid to send their children to camps or events after such attacks. The Israelis convey this clearly to us", says Berentsen.
Outstanding
Sissel Alvheim Dubrefjord from Notodden thinks the program and learning experience has been outstanding.
- Israel has an experience of treating terror victims, which I hope we never will have. It was they who contacted us and wanted to do something for Norway. What they have contributed with during this course is fantastic, says Alvheim Dubrefjord.
Thorleif Lønningen from Porsgrunn completely agree.
- The way they take care of relief workers after accidents is simply impressive, says Lønningen.
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