Galilee Society Newsletter - January 2003

1. January 2003 Issue 1
The Galilee Society is a leading advocate for the Arab minority in Israel, working to realize
improvements in their health, environmental and developmental status through research
demonstration, advocacy, capacity building and awareness raising.
GS Health Conference Marks 20 Yrs The Honors
The Galilee Society language of the conference For an Arab Israeli NGO to
celebrated its 20 year was Arabic, with reach its 20th anniversary is
anniversary with a Health simultaneous translation into no mean feat, and the Galilee
Conference on the Palestinian Hebrew. Society saw the conference as
Minority in Israel, held A key result of the conference an ideal opportunity to
December 19th in Nazareth. is the appointment of a publicly thank its founding
The conference aimed to taskforce to write the fathers (and mothers) for
present the health status of the blueprint for a new permanent their vision and guidance in
Palestinian community, steering committee of Arab those early years. We also
identify its needs and bring health professionals that will thanked those board
together professional issue advice, coordinate members, employees and
resources for this task. campaigns and make professionals who have
Over 350 doctors, researchers recommendations on health committed so much over the
and other professionals issues affecting Arabs in last two decades to helping us
attended the conference, Israel, including; improve the health,
which featured research environmental health, environment and education
papers from 80 speakers on learning difficulties, inter- status of the Arab community
five key issues affecting the relative marriage and in Israel. Special mention was
Palestinian minority; public smoking. made of volunteers, who have
health, child health and played a central role in the
genetics, environmental Galilee Society’s
health, psychological health development. The honorees
and learning difficulties, were presented with hand-
alongside presentations on the painted tiles of the old city
latest research from the GS
of Jerusalem.
R&D center. The official
Review: Conference Findings and Conclusions
As Director of Health community in Israel. It not unofficial health policies
Promotion and Education at only offered an important towards Palestinians.
the Galilee Society, I felt that contribution to public health In particular, speakers at the
the health conference dialogue in Israel, but a conference exposed the extent
succeeded in fostering high- departure point for those of neglect and marginalization
level and comprehensive working to realize changes in suffered by the Palestinian
discussions on the key issues inequitable official and community in Israel, both in
affecting the Palestinian terms of the provision of health
The Galilee Society P. O. Box 300, Shefa Amr 20200, Israel
Tel: 972 4 9861171 - Fax: 972 4 9861173 - Email: admin@gal-soc.org
www.gal-soc.org

2. services, and in terms of their special needs and genetic and making pregnancy and
isolation from the decision- disorders, women's’ health, childbirth a safer experience,
making process, despite the care for the elderly and general through regular checkups and
professional and technical psychological health. medical observation.
skills available within our On the other hand, a number of Above all, I hope that the
community. Even prominent speakers highlighted positive establishment of a professional
members of the Health features of Palestinian health, steering committee on health,
Ministry acknowledged this due to structural or cultural as agreed in the final session of
prejudice and the characteristics that should be the conference, will keep these
irresponsibility that reinforced. Moreover, we have issues and ideas alive, and help
characterizes health policy great potential to improve the lay out a comprehensive
towards our community, health of our own society if we program with which to
despite its pressing need for can raise awareness about systematically improve the
services; particularly those preventative health. This alone health of our Arab community
relating to infant health and would make inroads into in Israel.
development, childhood eliminating smoking, obesity
By Dr Cameel Makhoul, Director of Health Promotion and Education.
Vision: The Galilee Society after 20 Years
By General Director, Dr. Basel Ghattas
In the last 20 years, the GS has community on the agenda of pronged approach to
grown from a small grassroots the big aid agencies that development. On the one hand,
organization, designing and (rightly) saw Israel as a we will target major strategic
implementing projects to developed rich country, but developmental projects which
bridge the gaps in the health were unaware of the second can create sustainable impact
status of the Palestinian class legal status and living on the people socio-economic
community in Israel, to a big standards accorded to Arabs. conditions. Our other focus
strong professional Unfortunately, this is still a must continue our grassroots
developmental tool, working to problem and a challenge for us, projects in the health,
achieve the highest impact on though we partially overcame environment and socio-
the health, environmental and that with the help of economic fields, in a way that
living conditions of this international partners like empowers the local community
community. ICCO, USAID Christian Aid, and brings about positive
I was the second employee of CORDAID, the Ford change, whether through
the Galilee Society, after the Foundation and others. advocacy, demonstration
Secretary, and in the early What we dream of now is an models, lobbying or research.
days, the real issue for us, was organization that is more self-
putting the Palestinian reliant and extends our two-
The Politics of Health
Because of the discrimination years short of Jewish life neurological disorders was
in health budgets and services expectancy. around 13% higher than those
for Arab sector in Israel most There are also higher rates of among Jewish men, while the
health indicators show the critical diseases, such as number of deaths among Arab
Arab sector at a palpable diabetes, heart and women was 23% higher than
disadvantage to its Jewish neurological disorders and those among Jewish women.
counterpart, not least in life lung cancer. In 1997, the But more worrying, is the
expectancy, which remains 2.3 number of deaths among Arab discrimination that our
men from heart and children suffer, even at birth.
The Galilee Society P. O. Box 300, Shefa Amr 20200, Israel
Tel: 972 4 9861171 - Fax: 972 4 9861173 - Email: admin@gal-soc.org
www.gal-soc.org

3. There remains a stark number of public health general, see
difference in infant mortality facilities available to Arab http://www.health.gov.il/englis
rates between the Jewish and children, the Health Ministry h/edu.htm. This in itself
Arab sectors, despite recent admits to just 40 such facilities contributes to higher rates of
falls in the latter; between in Arab areas s. diabetes and obesity in the
1999 and 2001 the average of Meanwhile, there is a shocking Arab community. For more
Arab infant mortality was 8.4 shortfall in the budgets information see The Statistical
compared with 4.2 per 1000 allocated for Arab health Abstract of Israel and the
among Jewish infants. awareness, despite Israeli Health care Department of the
As for health treatment, there government commitment to Galilee Society.
is a severe shortage in the preventative measures in
Forthcoming Events
February 7-8 Internal workshop on the annual planning for the Galilee Society
End of March Publication of the environmental justice project report on quarries in the Galilee
April 2003 Phase 3 of the Rikaz socio-economic database development begins with funding from the
Ford Foundation. For more see http://www.rikaz.org
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The Galilee Society P. O. Box 300, Shefa Amr 20200, Israel
Tel: 972 4 9861171 - Fax: 972 4 9861173 - Email: admin@gal-soc.org
www.gal-soc.org