Palestine and Israel: articles published in Medicine, Conflict & Survival 1989–2023
At the start of 2024 the devastating health consequences of the Palestine-Israel conflict led to a discussion at the Editorial Board meeting of Medicine, Conflict & Survival (MCS) on the role of academic journals during such crises. In a world of live news, blogs and other online posts that can react rapidly to developing events, what is the role of a journal with the aims of MCS? Contributing authors have answered this question over the last 35 years with almost forty relevant articles on Palestine and Israel. It was decided to publish a collection of this writing to help ensure that the roots and historical context of the present conflict are not forgotten. It is hoped that such a collection can contribute to conflict prevention and provide evidence for accountability as part of conflict resolution. Thirty-eight items were found including articles, commentaries, conference reports, essays and personal papers that dealt specifically with Palestine and/or Israel. Book reviews, articles still under review, and those covering Palestine / Israel as one example among several were not included. We look forward to further articles on this subject. In light of the acute humanitarian situation particularly in Gaza but also in the West Bank, a retrospective collection of articles may seem a rather dry academic exercise. However, the first of the journal’s aims is to cover The causes and consequences of war and group violence. Anything that can contribute to a diagnosis of how this devastating situation arose, suggest how future conflict can be avoided and contribute in any way to peace, justice and accountability, is surely worth considering. More reflection on the detail, chronology and focus of these articles will appear in the journal. Authors are diverse in their locations and affiliations and we thank them all, and especially remember those who are no longer with us.