The diaries of Dr Hussein Fakhri al-Khalidi offer a unique insight to the peculiarities of colonialism that have shaped Palestinian history. Elected mayor of Jerusalem - his city of birth - in 1935, the physician played a leading role in the Palestinian Rebellion of the next year, with profound consequences for the future of Palestinian resistance and British colonial rule. One of many Palestinian leaders deported as a result of the uprising, it was in British-imposed exile in the Seychelles Islands that al-Khalidi began his diaries. Written with equal attention to lively personal encounters and ongoing political upheavals, entries in the diaries cover his sudden arrest and deportation by the colonial authorities, the fifteen months of exile on the tropical island, and his subsequent return to political activity in London then Beirut. The diaries provide a historical and personal lens into Palestinian political life in the late 1930s, a period critical to understanding the catastrophic 1948 exodus and dispossession of the Palestinian people. With an introduction by Rashid Khalidi the publication of these diaries offers a wealth of primary material and a perspective on the struggle against colonialism that will be of great value to anyone interested in the Palestinian predicament, past and present.

Written by 36 Palestinian, Israeli, and international health professionals, this book is a courageous experiment, the first of its kind, made by individuals from both sides of the Israeli-Palestianian conflict, jointly examining their common history in the field of health and the future that awaits them. This is a time when their healthcare systems are separating and an independent Palestinian health care system is being established. It serves as a unique resource for understanding the processes of change in civil societies affected by political and military struggle, and during the ensuing postconflict era affected by it.

The book describes and analyzes how health policy was designed and implemented during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict (1967-1993) by both sides--at times together, at times separately, and at times through confrontation--and how they are preparing for the new era that began with the 1993 Oslo Accords. Thanks to the authors' candor and their readiness to supplement professional analyses with personal accounts, the volume presents an important human document. The combination attests to the special role played by health professionals in promoting cooperation both in conflict and postconflict eras. As such, the study will be of interest to scholars, researchers, and officials involved with Palestinian-Israeli issues and to others dealing with regional, national, and ethnic conflicts worldwide.