Issues of Evidence, Ethics, Social Justice, and Action in APHA Policy

In 2013, a resolution was submitted to the American Public Health Association (APHA) addressing Palestinian health in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). It was the third time such a resolution was submitted, and the first time that it made it to the floor of the Governing Council. Drawing on over fifty scholarly sources and over twenty-five documents from the UN and other international agencies, the proposed resolution detailed how Palestinian health is compromised by the political, social and geographic conditions under which Palestinians in the occupied territory live. The resolution recommended five action steps, including that APHA (1) promote Palestinian/Israeli collaborations for peace and health, (2) support UN calls for an end to restrictions on movement, the building of the separation wall, and illegal settler activity, (3) demand the lifting of the siege in Gaza, (4) support research from within Palestine to document war-related health problems, and (5) call on financial organizations that provide retirement accounts to offer occupation-free social-choice account options. While the resolution gained considerable support from many APHA members, who spoke 2:1 in favor at the public hearing, and more than 500 of whom signed a petition of support, the resolution resoundingly failed the Governing Council vote. Here, authors of the resolution detail its history and rationale, and provide reflection on the apparently profound contradictions among US public health professionals regarding understanding and working to alleviate the effects of the occupation on Palestinian health.