- Email: [email protected]
In search of dignity
Correspondence
Corbis
reliance on currently dwindling foreign aid and tight Israeli control over the PA’s access to markets, national resources, and tax and customs revenue4 make it vulnerable to external influence. The PA is currently facing the worst fiscal crisis since its establishment in 1994.5 The unsettled status of the Palestinian state limits the PA’s access to the full range of support mechanisms available to state parties. A few organisations, such as WHO and MEDICS, strive to overcome coordination and communication gaps created by the deep historicopolitical discord between the regional states and within the Occupied Palestinian Territory; however, they lack the political clout necessary to accomplish this work. Despite these challenges, the PA is resolute about further strengthening public health security in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Building fully fledged capacity to contain the public health hazards of international concern will by no means be easy; however, with external support, flexibility on the part of politicians and PA development partners, and stronger involvement of Gaza’s authorities, much progress can be made before the next IHR deadline in 2014. Political will and readiness to compromise are essential for such progress.
Published Online September 4, 2012 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(12)61459-7
In 2012, as a WHO specialist, I supported planning and implementation of the IHR in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This letter summarises my knowledge of the implementation of IHR 2005 in this region. No external funding has been used in the process of collection information for and writing this letter. I declare that I have no conflicts of interest.
See Articles page 1406
Vachagan Harutyunyan [email protected] WHO, Abu Obaida, Jerusalem, Israel 1
2
1386
WHO. International health regulations (2005). http://www.who.int/ihr/en/ (accessed Aug 19, 2012). UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Humanitarian factsheet on area C of the West Bank. http://unispal. un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/399CD2EDD40B0D2 C852578D4004D099F (accessed Oct 2, 2012).
3
4
5
World Bank. Promoting economic growth through trade and integration. http://web. worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,c ontentMDK:23247325~menuPK:34463~page PK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00. html (accessed Aug 22, 2012). UN Conference on Trade and Development. Review of the technical cooperation activities of UNCTAD and their financing: report by the Secretary-General of UNCTAD. Annex I: review of activities undertaken in 2011. http:// unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6A98E1BFC90 376DB85257A5500483E87 (accessed Aug 22, 2012). World Bank. PA fiscal crisis jeopardizes institution-building progress. http://web. worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,c ontentMDK:23142810~menuPK:34468~page PK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00. html (accessed Aug 22, 2012).
Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, Rimal, Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory 1
Batniji R. Searching for dignity. Lancet 2012; 380: 466–67.
In search of dignity My thanks go to Rajaie Batniji for his wonderfully perceptive and insightful piece (Aug 4, p 466).1 His visit to Gaza was a source of pleasure and pride. He absolutely hits the core of the issue in the seemingly eternal conflict: the injured dignity. Our loss of the war in 1948 was compounded by the arrest of societal development from tribalism to citizenship, as all our energies were directed against the outside enemy. We were not blessed with good leadership of vision and courage, but with those who played the national anthem and raised the victory sign— hollow representations of pride— every time they were defeated. Our Mousiba lingered on! But what will come after hell must be paradise, not only because our cause is just but because we resist. Military power is not a guarantee of security. We know how powerful Israel is but also how saturated with fear. When we hear the blasts of their bombs, we do not falter. We resist even in our silence. We hope still that one day they will send a message of justice and peace. We will always be there. I declare that I have no conflicts of interest.
Eyad Sarraj [email protected]
Department of Error Dalton T, Cegielski P, Akksilp S, et al, and the Global PETTS Investigators. Prevalence of and risk factors for resistance to second-line drugs in people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in eight countries: a prospective cohort study. Lancet 2012; http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61069-1— In this Article (published online Aug 30), the first sentence of the third paragraph of the Discussion should read “WHO data showed that 5·4% of patients with MDR tuberculosis had XDR tuberculosis.” Furthermore, the following disclaimer should have been included in the Acknowledgments: “The findings and conclusions in this Article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the US CDC.” These corrections have been made to the online version as of Sept 4, 2012, and to the printed Article.
www.thelancet.com Vol 380 October 20, 2012
Corbis
reliance on currently dwindling foreign aid and tight Israeli control over the PA’s access to markets, national resources, and tax and customs revenue4 make it vulnerable to external influence. The PA is currently facing the worst fiscal crisis since its establishment in 1994.5 The unsettled status of the Palestinian state limits the PA’s access to the full range of support mechanisms available to state parties. A few organisations, such as WHO and MEDICS, strive to overcome coordination and communication gaps created by the deep historicopolitical discord between the regional states and within the Occupied Palestinian Territory; however, they lack the political clout necessary to accomplish this work. Despite these challenges, the PA is resolute about further strengthening public health security in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Building fully fledged capacity to contain the public health hazards of international concern will by no means be easy; however, with external support, flexibility on the part of politicians and PA development partners, and stronger involvement of Gaza’s authorities, much progress can be made before the next IHR deadline in 2014. Political will and readiness to compromise are essential for such progress.
Published Online September 4, 2012 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(12)61459-7
In 2012, as a WHO specialist, I supported planning and implementation of the IHR in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This letter summarises my knowledge of the implementation of IHR 2005 in this region. No external funding has been used in the process of collection information for and writing this letter. I declare that I have no conflicts of interest.
See Articles page 1406
Vachagan Harutyunyan [email protected] WHO, Abu Obaida, Jerusalem, Israel 1
2
1386
WHO. International health regulations (2005). http://www.who.int/ihr/en/ (accessed Aug 19, 2012). UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Humanitarian factsheet on area C of the West Bank. http://unispal. un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/399CD2EDD40B0D2 C852578D4004D099F (accessed Oct 2, 2012).
3
4
5
World Bank. Promoting economic growth through trade and integration. http://web. worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,c ontentMDK:23247325~menuPK:34463~page PK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00. html (accessed Aug 22, 2012). UN Conference on Trade and Development. Review of the technical cooperation activities of UNCTAD and their financing: report by the Secretary-General of UNCTAD. Annex I: review of activities undertaken in 2011. http:// unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6A98E1BFC90 376DB85257A5500483E87 (accessed Aug 22, 2012). World Bank. PA fiscal crisis jeopardizes institution-building progress. http://web. worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,c ontentMDK:23142810~menuPK:34468~page PK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00. html (accessed Aug 22, 2012).
Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, Rimal, Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory 1
Batniji R. Searching for dignity. Lancet 2012; 380: 466–67.
In search of dignity My thanks go to Rajaie Batniji for his wonderfully perceptive and insightful piece (Aug 4, p 466).1 His visit to Gaza was a source of pleasure and pride. He absolutely hits the core of the issue in the seemingly eternal conflict: the injured dignity. Our loss of the war in 1948 was compounded by the arrest of societal development from tribalism to citizenship, as all our energies were directed against the outside enemy. We were not blessed with good leadership of vision and courage, but with those who played the national anthem and raised the victory sign— hollow representations of pride— every time they were defeated. Our Mousiba lingered on! But what will come after hell must be paradise, not only because our cause is just but because we resist. Military power is not a guarantee of security. We know how powerful Israel is but also how saturated with fear. When we hear the blasts of their bombs, we do not falter. We resist even in our silence. We hope still that one day they will send a message of justice and peace. We will always be there. I declare that I have no conflicts of interest.
Eyad Sarraj [email protected]
Department of Error Dalton T, Cegielski P, Akksilp S, et al, and the Global PETTS Investigators. Prevalence of and risk factors for resistance to second-line drugs in people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in eight countries: a prospective cohort study. Lancet 2012; http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61069-1— In this Article (published online Aug 30), the first sentence of the third paragraph of the Discussion should read “WHO data showed that 5·4% of patients with MDR tuberculosis had XDR tuberculosis.” Furthermore, the following disclaimer should have been included in the Acknowledgments: “The findings and conclusions in this Article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the US CDC.” These corrections have been made to the online version as of Sept 4, 2012, and to the printed Article.
www.thelancet.com Vol 380 October 20, 2012