34. Wick, L. Politics of Health in Palestine: The Effects of Colonialism, Occupation and the Peace Process. Senior Thesis, 1999: 100pp.

The present work researches the effects of war, displacement and occupation since 1947 on the health of the Palestinian people. It is based on readings in the history of the area and its people, notably regarding economic and health-related aspects of their existence in the twentieth century; especially it’s second half. The first three sections provide general background and insights into the interaction of politics, war, occupation and health; in the last section, the village of Biddu in the Jerusalem area was taken as an example and medical records from it’s clinic were examined focusing on indicators relating to infants and small children preceding and following the strict military closure imposed on the West Bank by the Israeli authorities in 1991. The relationship of military rule and occupation on the one hand and the economic and health status of the affected population on the other, are generally significant. It’s not as easy, on the other hand, on the basis of a micro-study in the health field, to establish clear and immediate connections over a short period of time of less than a decade.