Palestinian Dependence on External Health Services: De-development as a Tool of Dispossession

Through multiple mechanisms, armed conflict degrades and destroys health systems, leaving significant gaps in care delivery that lead to worse health outcomes. Civilian populations are often left at the mercy of multiple stakeholders to attain health care. Often, they are unable to meet their needs within their own territory. This has been documented as the case throughout the occupied Palestinian territories for decades. In this paper, I argue that the destruction and de-development of the Palestinian health system is not just a side effect of conflict, but is part of a broader effort of dispossession, disconnecting Palestinians from their land and from each other. I focus on the multiple ways Palestinians are forced to depend on external actors to seek needed care due to the limitations of blockade and occupation, the drivers of these pathways, and the outcomes of this dependence. Lastly, I provide recommendations for refocusing health efforts internally.