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Lessons of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict for Public Health: The Case of the COVID-19 Vaccination Gap

Author

Listed:
  • Yara Dahdal

    (Nature Palestine Society, Ramallah 9993900, Palestine)

  • Nadav Davidovitch

    (School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel)

  • Michael Gilmont

    (Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6PN, UK)

  • Javier Lezaun

    (Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6PN, UK)

  • Maya Negev

    (School of Public Health, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel)

  • Deborah Sandler

    (Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Kibbutz Ketura, Hevel Eilot 88840, Israel
    Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3BD, UK)

  • Mohammed Shaheen

    (Damour for Community Development, Ramallah 6063139, Palestine)

Abstract

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a faceless, non-adversarial threat that endangered Israelis and Palestinians with the same ferocity. However, the capacities of the health systems to address it were not equal, with Israel more equipped for the outbreak with infrastructure, resources, manpower and later, vaccines. The pandemic demonstrated the life-saving benefits of cooperation and the self-defeating harms brought by non-cooperation. These trends are explored here by an international team of public health and environmental scholars, including those from different sides of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This article explores the importance of recognizing the Israeli and Palestinian jurisdictions as a single epidemiological unit, and illustrates how doing so is a pragmatic positioning that can serve self-interest. We demonstrate how despite political shocks precipitating non-cooperation, there has been a recurrent tendency towards limited cooperation. The paper concludes with lessons over the need for reframing public health as a potential bridge, the need for structural changes creating sustainable platforms for accelerated transboundary cooperation to enable the steady management of current and future public and environmental health crises regardless of dynamic political crises, and the importance of civil society and international organizations in forging collaboration in advance of governmental engagement.

Suggested Citation

  • Yara Dahdal & Nadav Davidovitch & Michael Gilmont & Javier Lezaun & Maya Negev & Deborah Sandler & Mohammed Shaheen, 2021. "Lessons of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict for Public Health: The Case of the COVID-19 Vaccination Gap," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-7, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11292-:d:666145
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. J. Lelieveld & Y. Proestos & P. Hadjinicolaou & M. Tanarhte & E. Tyrlis & G. Zittis, 2016. "Strongly increasing heat extremes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the 21st century," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 137(1), pages 245-260, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Krzysztof Zdziarski & Katarzyna Karakiewicz-Krawczyk & Mariam S. Awad & Narmeen Qumsieh & Anna Landowska & Beata Karakiewicz, 2022. "Feelings of Polish and Palestinian Students after Receiving Vaccinations against COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-17, October.

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