Abstract
The ongoing Israeli military occupation of Palestine has created apartheid, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and crimes against humanity. From a public health perspective, the destruction of Palestinian medical and health infrastructure along with the targeting of medical personnel is compounding an existing public health crisis in Palestine. This chapter examines Palestinian and Israeli history from 1896 to present day to provide a contextualization of current events that are shaping public health systems in Palestine. It investigates the ways in which Israeli governmental and military policy contribute to the health disparities faced by Palestinians and examines how the US and international policies facilitate the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Policy briefs from human rights and medical aid organizations were compiled and analyzed. Legal documents outlining international law and foreign policy were collected, as were academic articles on public health statistics in Palestine. Additional information was obtained from correspondence with Palestinian health officials and media sources. This chapter highlights the need to use accurate language in public health spheres. Destroying medical infrastructure and targeting medical personnel are crimes against humanity and must be discussed as such. To uphold our obligations as public health professionals, drastic and immediate advocacy needs to be directed towards the public health crisis in Palestine.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abbas M, Barbieri M, Battistel M, Brattini G, Garone A, Parisse B (2013) Water quality in the Gaza strip: the present scenario. J Water Resource Prot 5:54–63
Abuzerr S (2020) The impact of environmental pollution on public health in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in fragile and conflict settings: reflections from the Gaza strip. PENGON-FoE Palestine
Abuzerr S, Nasseri S, Yunesian M, Hadi M, Mahvi A, Nabizadeh R, Mustafa A (2019) Prevalence of diarrheal illnesses and healthcare-seeking behavior by age-group and sex among the population of Gaza strip: a community-based cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 19:704. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7070-0
Al Shabaka (2017) Residency revocation: Israel’s forcible transfer of Palestinians from Jerusalem. Al Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network. Retrieved from https://al-shabaka.org/releases/residency-revocation-israels-forcible-transfer-palestinians-jerusalem/
Amnesty International (2017) The occupation of water. Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/11/the-occupation-of-water/
Amnesty International (2021) Israeli settlements and international law. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2019/01/chapter-3-israeli-settlements-and-international-law/
Anera (2020) Healthcare system in Palestine. Retrieved from https://www.anera.org/blog/heathcare-in-palestine/
Anera (2021) Palestine situation report – June 7, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.anera.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/June-7-2021-Palestine-Situation-Report.pdf
Atallah D, Kramer S, Al Bast L, Stanley B, Scales D, Jawabreh N, Alazzah S, Abu Srour M, Abedrabbu H, Louis H, Abu Srour R, Alazzah S, Al Mashakhah M, Darwish M, Ewise A, Rumi M, Wispelwey B (2021) Community health work under occupation: towards the development of a new model to address social and political determinants of health in Palestinian refugee camps. CHW Central. Retrieved from https://chwcentral.org/community-health-work-under-occupation-towards-the-development-of-a-new-model-to-address-social-and-political-determinants-of-health-in-palestinian-refugee-camps/
Awad S, Levin A (2020) Palestine: a socialist introduction, eds. Awad S, Bean B. Haymarket Books, Chicago
B’Tselem (2002) Lethal curfew: the use of live ammunition to enforce curfew. The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. Retrieved from https://www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/200210_lethal_curfew
B’Tselem (2004) Forbidden roads: the discriminatory West Bank Road regime. Retrieved from https://www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/200408_forbidden_roads
B’Tselem (2017a) Restrictions on movement. The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. Retrieved from https://www.btselem.org/freedom_of_movement
B’Tselem (2017b) Open-fire policy. The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. Retrieved from https://www.btselem.org/firearms
Barlas S (2017) U.S. and states ramp up response to opioid crisis: regulatory, legislative, and legal tools brought to bear. Pharm Therapeut 42(9):569–571, 592
Center for Constitutional Rights (2016) The genocide of the Palestinian people: an international law and human rights perspective. Retrieved from https://ccrjustice.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/10/Background%20on%20the%20term%20genocide%20in%20Israel%20Palestine%20Context.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021) Understanding the epidemic. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html
Cornell Law School (2021) Apartheid. Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/apartheid
Council on Education for Public Health (2021) About CEPH. Retrieved from https://ceph.org/
Dovere E (2013) Biden: always Israel’s friend. Politico. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/joe-biden-israel-097586
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor (2021) Statistics on the Israeli military attack on the Gaza Strip (10–21 May 2021). Retrieved from https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/4430/Statistics-on-the-Israeli-attack-on-the-Gaza-Strip-%2810%2D%2D-21-May-2021%29
EuroMed Rights (2021) Egypt’s two-faced game on Gaza: humanitarian relief amidst repression. Retrieved from https://euromedrights.org/publication/egypts-two-face-game-on-gaza-humanitarian-relief-amidst-repression/
Friedman T (1995) From Beirut to Jerusalem. Anchor Books, New York
Gadzo M (2018) Israeli forces ‘deliberately killed’ Palestinian paramedic Razan. Al-Jazeera. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/7/18/israeli-forces-deliberately-killed-palestinian-paramedic-razan
Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement (2011) The land crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Retrieved from https://gisha.org/en/the-land-crossing-between-the-gaza-strip-and-egypt/
Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement (2021) Movement of people via Rafah crossing. Retrieved from https://gisha.org/en/graph/movement-of-people-through-rafah-crossing/
Goldstein E (2021) Say Israel is committing apartheid? It’s not a decision we reached lightly. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/04/27/say-israel-committing-apartheid-its-not-decision-we-reached-lightly
Grossman M (2016) Gaza sewage crisis is a ticking time bomb for Israel. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved from https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Gaza-sewage-crisis-is-a-ticking-timebomb-for-Israel-448335
Harvard University (2021) Zionism and Israel. The Pluralism Project. Retrieved from https://pluralism.org/zionism-and-israel
Hass A (2014) Injured Gazans untreated due to ambulance shortage. Retrieved from https://www.haaretz.com/.premium-ambulance-shortage-in-gaza-1.5258094
Human Rights Watch (2010) Separate and unequal: Israel’s discriminatory treatment of Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories
Human Rights Watch (2017a) Israel: Jerusalem Palestinians stripped of status. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/08/08/israel-jerusalem-palestinians-stripped-status
Human Rights Watch (2017b) Unwilling or unable: Israeli restrictions on access to and from Gaza for human rights workers. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/04/02/unwilling-or-unable/israeli-restrictions-access-and-gaza-human-rights-workers
Human Rights Watch (2018) Israel: record-low in Gaza medical permits. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/13/israel-record-low-gaza-medical-permits
Human Rights Watch (2021) A threshold crossed: Israeli authorities and the crimes of apartheid and persecution. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution#
IFRC (2002) Second Palestine red crescent paramedic killed in a week. Retrieved from https://www.ifrc.org/ar/news-and-media/press-releases/middle-east-and-north-africa/palestine/second-palestine-red-crescent-paramedic-killed-in-a-week/
Institute for Middle East Understanding (2005) What is the Palestinian authority? Retrieved from https://imeu.org/article/what-is-the-palestinian-authority
Institute for Middle East Understanding (2015) Extremism and incitement to racial hatred: senior Israeli officials in their own words. Retrieved from https://imeu.org/article/extremism-incitement-to-racial-hatred-senior-israeli-officials-in-their-own
International Committee of the Red Cross (2013a) Palestine and the Red Crescent Society: our selected experience and practical resource pack. Retrieved from https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/2013/safer-access-selected-experience-palestine.pdf
International Committee of the Red Cross (2013b) Ambulance and pre-hospital services in risk situations. Retrieved from https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/publications/icrc-002-4173.pdf
International Committee of the Red Cross (2014a) Gaza: ICRC condemns killing of Red Crescent volunteer. Retrieved from https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/news-release/2014/07-25-gaza-volunteer-killed.htm
International Committee of the Red Cross (2014b) Promoting military operational practice that ensures safe access to and delivery of healthcare. Retrieved from http://icrcndresourcecentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/icrc-002-4208.pdf
International Committee of the Red Cross (2016) Frequently asked questions on the rules of war. Retrieved from https://www.icrc.org/en/document/ihl-rules-of-war-FAQ-Geneva-Conventions
International Humanitarian Law (1977) Rule 25: medical personnel. Retrieved from https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule25
Islamic Relief Canada (2021) Dreams for freedom – Gaza, Palestine. Retrieved from https://issuu.com/islamicreliefcanada/docs/dreams_for_freedom_palestine
Keane G, McConnell A (2019) Gaza [Film]. Real Films
Keelan E (2016) Medical care in Palestine: working in a conflict zone. Ulster Med J 85(1):3–7
Kennes M (2021) Palestinians left out of Israel’s COVID-19 vaccination success story. Médecins sans Frontières. Retrieved from https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/news-stories/story/palestinians-left-out-israels-covid-19-vaccination-success-story
Khashan S (2021) A Palestinian doctor’s account of life under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. Time Magazine. Retrieved from https://time.com/6051399/doctor-israeli-bombardment-gaza/
Klion D (2021) When cruelty builds community. Jewish Currents. Retrieved from https://jewishcurrents.org/when-cruelty-builds-community/
Lang B (2016) Genocide: the act as idea. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, p 2016
Lange K (2021) “For one year, no one came here” to provide medical care in the West Bank. Médecins sans Frontières. Retrieved from https://www.msf.org/west-bank-palestine-communities-face-healthcare-access-challenges
Laub Z (2014) Hamas. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/hamas
Lemon M (2021) AP editor warns world will “know less” about Israeli-Palestinian conflict after bureau bombing. Newsweek. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/ap-editor-warns-world-will-know-less-about-israeli-palestinian-conflict-after-bureau-bombing-1591943
Mahase E (2021) Gaza: Israeli airstrikes kill doctors and damage healthcare facilities. Br Med J 373:n1300. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1300
Médecins sans Frontières (2018) Palestine. Retrieved from https://www.msf-me.org/country/palestine
Naal H, Mendelsohn R, Brome D, Noubani A, Nabulsi D, Muhieddine D, Saleh S (2021) Evaluating a capacity building program on women’s health for displaced community health workers in fragile settings in Lebanon. Hum Resour Health 19:37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00585-0
Nussbaum M (2006) Chapter 3: poverty and human functioning: capabilities as fundamental entitlements. In: Sen A, Nussbaum M, Bourguignon F, Wilson W, Massey D, Fineman M (eds) In poverty and inequality. Stanford University Press, Stanford, pp 47–75
Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (2020) The impact of environmental pollution on public health in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in fragile and conflict settings: reflections from the Gaza Strip. Figure 7. Water pollution in Gaza. Copyright United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.ochaopt.org/content/seawater-pollution-raises-concerns-waterborne-diseases-and-environmental-hazards-gaza-strip
Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (2021) Occupied Palestinian territory: escalation in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Israel. United Nations. Retrieved from https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/flash_update_10_escalations_of_hostilities.pdf
O’Toole M (2015) The orphans of Gaza. Al Jazeera. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/1/8/the-orphans-of-gaza
Omar M (2020) Palestine: a socialist introduction, eds. Awad, S, Bean, B. Chicago, Haymarket Books
Ottaway M (2015) Learning from Sykes-Picot. Wilson Center of the Smithsonian Institution – Middle East Program
Oxfam International (2018) Timeline: the humanitarian impact of the Gaza blockade. Retrieved from https://www.oxfam.org/en/timeline-humanitarian-impact-gaza-blockade
Palestine Advocacy Group (2021) Israel’s leaders: in their own words. Retrieved from https://www.palestineadvocacyproject.org/quotes/
Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA) (2000) Israeli settlements and Palestinian neighborhoods. Figure 5: East Jerusalem Map. Copyright Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs. Retrieved from http://passia.org/maps/view/61
Pappé I (2017) The biggest prison on earth: a history of the occupied territories. OneWorld Publications, London
PCRF (2021) Gaza PCRF office destroyed in an airstrike. Retrieved from https://www.pcrf.net/news/gaza-pcrf-office-destroyed-in-an-air-strike.html
Piccone T (2018) U.S. withdrawal from U.N. human rights council is “America alone”. The Brookings Institute. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2018/06/20/u-s-withdrawal-from-u-n-human-rights-council-is-america-alone/
Regidor E, de la Fuente L, Gutiérrez-Fisac J, de Mateo S, Pascual C, Sánchez-Payá J, Ronda E (2007) The role of the public health official in communicating public health information. Am J Public Health 97(Suppl 1):S93–S97. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2006.094623
Rosenthal F (2020) A comparison of health indicators and social determinants of health between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Glob Public Health 16(3), 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2020.1808037
Sachs N (2017) 50 years: legacies of the 1967 War. Center for Middle East Policy. The Brookings Institute
Sen S (2015) It’s Nakba, not a party: restating the continued legacy of the Oslo accords. Arab Stud Q 37(2, Spring):161–176
Sharp J (2020) U.S. foreign aid to Israel. Congressional Research Service. Report # RL33222. Retrieved from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf
Singh M (2013) Palestinian U.N. “observer state” status: what it really means. United Nations Association – United Kingdom. Retrieved from https://una.org.uk/sites/default/files/UNA-UK%20briefing%20-%20Palestinian%20UN%20%27observer%20state%27%20status%20-%20January%202013.pdf
SKT Welfare (2021) Orphan sponsorship. Retrieved from https://www.sktwelfare.org/appeals/orphan-care/
Slan S (2021) The right to health in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs. Retrieved from https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/right-health-occupied-palestinian-territory-opt
Tahhan Z (2018) More than a century on: The Balfour Declaration explained. Al Jazeera. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/11/2/more-than-a-century-on-the-balfour-declaration-explained
Telhami S (2021) Biden’s bungled response on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Brookings Institute. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/05/20/bidens-bungled-response-on-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/
Thomas J, Sage M, Dillenberg J, Guillory V (2002) A code of ethics for public health. Am J Public Health 92(7):1057–1059. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.92.7.1057
U.S. Department of State (2021a) U.S. relations with Israel. Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-israel/
U.S. Department of State (2021b) U.S. assistance for the Palestinian people. Press Release for Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 26 May 2021. Retrieved from https://www.state.gov/u-s-assistance-for-the-palestinian-people/
UNICEF (2018) Education and adolescents: the State of Palestine. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/sop/what-we-do/education-and-adolescents
UNICEF (2020) Norway, UNICEF, and Palestinian Ministry of Health sign new partnership agreement to strengthen early childhood health care, protection, and development, and to support COVID-19 response activities in the State of Palestine. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/sop/press-releases/norway-unicef-and-palestinian-ministry-health-sign-new-partnership-agreement
UNICEF (2021) State of Palestine receives its third allocation of COVID-19 vaccines. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/sop/press-releases/state-palestine-receives-its-third-allocation-covid-19-vaccines
United Nations (1948) Convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide. General Assembly Resolution 260 A (III) of 9 December 1948. Entry into force: 12 January 1951. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide.shtml
United Nations (2012) 67/19 Status of Palestine in the United Nations. General Assembly Resolution A/67/L.28 and Add.1 of 29 November 2012. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-187149/
United Nations (2013) Crimes against humanity. Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/crimes-against-humanity.shtml
United Nations (2021a) Ethnic cleansing. Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect
United Nations (2021b) Gaza children living in “hell on earth” secretary-general tells general assembly, as calls for end to violence crescendo, news of Israel-Hamas ceasefire breaks. United Nations General Assembly, Seventy-Fifth Session, 67th & 68th Meetings. GA/12325. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/press/en/2021/ga12325.doc.htm
United Nations (2021c) Government of the state of Palestine. Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations New York. Retrieved from https://palestineun.org/about-palestine/government-of-the-state-of-palestine/
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2014) Maps: the occupation of the West Bank. Figure 4: Area C. Copyright United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2014. Retrieved from http://america.aljazeera.com/multimedia/2014/7/west-bank-security.html
United States Department of State (2021) The Oslo accords and the Arab-Israeli peace process. Office of the Historian. Retrieved from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1993-2000/oslo
United States Institute of Peace (2008) Confronting crimes against humanity. Study Guide Series on Peace and Conflict. Retrieved from https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/file/09sg.pdf
UNRWA (2021a) Where we work. Retrieved from https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/gaza-strip
UNRWA (2021b) Health in the Gaza Strip. United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Retrieved from https://www.unrwa.org/activity/health-gaza-strip
UNRWA (2021c) Beit Jibrin camp. Retrieved from https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/west-bank/beit-jibrin-camp
Wikimedia Commons (2007) West Bank and Gaza Settlements. Figure 6: West Bank and Gaza Map. Copyright Wikimedia Commons, 2007. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Bank_%26_Gaza_Map_2007_(Settlements).png
Wikimedia Commons (2009) Blockade of the Gaza Strip. Figure 3: Gaza Strip. CC BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade_of_the_Gaza_Strip#/media/File:Gaza_Strip_map2.svg
Wikimedia Commons (2020) Arab-Israeli Conflict. Figure 1: the Middle East. CC0. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arab_Israeli_Conflict_5.png
Wikimedia Commons (2021) Palestinian territories under military control of Israel, Egypt, and Jordan, 1949. Figure 2: Palestinian loss of land map. CC0. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palestinian_territories_under_military_control_of_Israel_Egypt_and_Jordan_1949.jpg
World Health Organization (2014) Right to health: crossing barriers to access health in the occupied Palestinian territory, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/palestine/documents/WHO_-_RTH_crossing_barriers_to_access_health.pdf?ua=1
World Health Organization (2017) Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including in East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan. Seventy-Third World Health Assembly, report by Director General. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA73/A73_15-en.pdf
World Health Organization (2019) Drinking water. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water
World Health Organization – International (2020) Health cluster bulletin: occupied Palestinian territories. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-cluster/countries/occupied-palestinian-territory/OPT-Health-Cluster-Bulletin-March-2020.pdf?ua=1
Yale Law School (2021) Balfour declaration 1917. Retrieved from https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/balfour.asp
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
.png){kind=link}
Cite this entry
Hacker, E. (2022). Genocide and Public Health in Palestine. In: Laher, I. (eds) Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_227-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_227-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74365-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74365-3
eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine