In this Think Piece we argue that mental health system reforms are not mainly driven by scientific evidence and international standards, but rather by concrete political constellations, national and international development agendas, local and global socioeconomic contexts, and the interactions between differently positioned actors. We further argue that these forces gain their influence not by being openly discussed, but precisely because they are rendered invisible and turned into what Geissler (2013) calls 'unknown knowns'. To illustrate these complex processes, we present a case study that examines how mental health system reform processes in the West Bank are shaped by the Israeli occupation, particular political events, and unequal power relations between international and local institutional actors. Furthermore, we present critical reflections by mental health providers related to these processes, and their visions for a more sustainable mental health system. We end with an appeal to aid providers to stop characterising their work with abstract catchphrases such as 'evidence-based' or 'best practice', and call on them to be transparent about how political, economic, and social contexts shape their work on the ground.

This qualitative study investigates how children of Palestinian political detainees in Israeli detention cope with their fathers' absences. Researchers conducted 16 semi‐structured interviews with children, mostly aged 15 and older in the West Bank. Three themes are discussed that emerged from the interview data: how children cope with their sadness; the children's perspectives on community support; and older children's support to siblings and parents. Practitioners can support children by providing counselling to mothers and organising interventions, which give children the opportunity to connect. It is important that the agency of the older children is taken into account and built upon.

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Background Although much research has been done into fertility and childbearing in the Palestinian context, research into the practice of child-raising is scarce. In preparation for a study on child discipline and abuse in the West Bank, we investigated the cultural appropriateness of two International Child Abuse screening tools: one for parents or caretakers (ICAST-P) and the other for young people aged 18-24 years (ICAST-R), which were both developed by the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN).