Peace Building through Health (PtH), heard over a Skype call with the author, sounded like Peace Building through Hell. I did not attempt to question this, because what I heard applies to our reality under Israeli military occupation. After reading this amazing chronicle of an American organization trying to mitigate a hyper-sensitive political web for the sake of the health of both Palestinians and Israelis, I am confident that we all can be part of the solution if we so desire. One sentence in the book stood out, "PtH is a political process." HATD working at the community level is a clear confirmation of their politics of empowerment. This book goes behind the headlines and gives a hands-on taste of what so many must grapple with daily. - Sam Bahour, Palestinian-American businessman, writer, activist, Al-Bireh/Ramallah, PalestineAs a health professional living and working in Israel all my adult life, I’ve been engaged in Peace through Health. Through the remarkable accomplishments of Healing Across the Divides, this book by Dr Goldfield highlights what are the possible roles of health professionals in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I highly recommend this book to all health professionals interested in this field and to all interested in knowing what is achievable in this challenging conflict. - Professor Raphael Walden, President Physicians for Human Rights – Israel; professor of medicine at Tel Aviv UniversityHealing Across Divides, a U.S. nonprofit, provides small grants and back-up to small Palestinian and Jewish groups that face common health needs that lack government support. These low-overhead largely community groups run a variety of programs, e.g diabetes, nutrition and obesity, that help tens of thousands, and create uncommon rapport and collaboration. As Israel and Palestine wrestle endlessly, and sometimes violently, over how to make peace, their leaders should start thinking more about the potential of synergy between their two peoples in many areas, as an asset for moving from confrontation to peace making. This book provides both general readers and specialists alike with successful approaches that can be replicated in both this tragic conflict and beyond - Ambassador (ret.) Philip Wilcox, Former U.S. Consul General, JerusalemFormer President, Foundation for Middle East Peace, Washington DCReading Norbert Goldfield’s Healing Across the Divides was a surprisingly emotional experience for me. Initially I was filled with admiration for this group. For fifteen years they have held on to their belief that health work could contribute to peace. HATD has helped with diabetes, HIV, addictions, mental health, childhood accidents, an astonishing array of health issues. They have used methods I admire – strengthening civil society organisations close to the communities involved, insisting on measuring the impact of their work. Their service to basic needs for health care in marginalized communities represents ‘what is decent in an indecent world’.Then I was flooded by sadness – the political vice tightening on the Palestinians is so appalling, the Israeli military prevents the most tentative of meetings across the divide. Humanitarianism is surely an inadequate stop-gap when the real need, political change, diminishes in probability. Norberet Goldfield himself acknowledges that ‘resolution of the conflict…may not occur in my lifetime’.Yet, HATD looks this full in the face and keeps on. I learned from and will hold on to their triple vision. In the short term, they know they are making a difference to hundreds of thousands of lives, contributing to healthier and stronger communities. In the medium term, they are strengthening leadership in civil society – a most valuable asset. In the long term, HATD hopes that these leaders, learning from the values and vision of the organization, will contribute to building peace.I salute them with all my heart! - Joanna Santa Barbara is coeditor of Peace through Health: How Health Professionals Can Work for a Less Violent World. Kumarian Press, 2008, and has written extensively on peace through health. She is actively committed to the climate change movement and lives in New Zealand.
