This issue of Jadal gathers together research which discusses the impact of the Coronavirus crisis on society, politics, economics and public health with regards to the Palestinian community in Israel, and in particular how Israeli state policies have affected Palestinians. These research efforts are part of a wider project that Mada has been undertaking since March. Mada also organized a series of online lectures which sought to expand and contextualise our understanding of the pandemic in the light of pre-existing scholarship and critical theory. Our in-house policy unit also wrote several position papers addressing aspects of the pandemic’s impact on Palestinian life in Israel.

The editors, Dr Mohanad Mustafa and Dr Areen Hawari said that the Coronavirus crisis has succeeded in bringing certain sociological and political questions to the forefront, “as transnational epidemics reveal hidden weaknesses in the political, social and health structures of societies and states, forcing us to re-evaluate them.” There is no doubt that the Coronavirus pandemic has had many negative repercussions for Palestinians in Israel; at the same time, it has also highlighted pre-existing asymmetries between Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens. The editors added that “the pandemic revealed the discriminatory nature of the Israeli health system, and how its relationship with Palestinian Arab citizens, whether they are employees or patients, is in many ways a colonial one. The pandemic has brought into sharper contrast the economically exploitative aspects of Israel’s colonial structure, whilst also aggravating social problems such as violence against women and femicide (this is of particular concern within the Palestinian community where resourcing for challenging this issue is lacking), the fragility of the education sector in Arab majority areas, especially in the Negev.”

This issue of Jadal has three main chapters: The first outlines theoretical approaches; The second, Coronavirus and the Palestinians in Israel; And third, Coronavirus in the wider context Palestine and Palestinians. Below is a list of all articles included across these chapters.

Chapter 1

The Role of the State and Freemarket Economics in the Context of Coronavirus: Future Questions – Mansour Abu Karim

Capitalism, Society, and History: Notes on Understanding the Epidemic- Muhammad Qa’dan

Chapter 2

Arab Doctors in Israel: An Insider’s View – Dr Osama Tannous

The Coronavirus Pandemic and its Implications for the Education System in the Negev: Challenges and Future Aspirations – Ibrahim Abu Ajaj

Towards an Appropriate strategy for Confronting the Increase in Gender-based Violence During the Coronavirus Pandemic – Manal Shibli

Chapter 3

Reflections on Israeli Colonial Exploitation of Palestinian Workers During the Coronavirus Pandemic – Ahmed Ezz El-Din Asaad

The Psychological, Social and Economic Pressures Facing Pregnant Palestinian Women in the Context of Coronavirus – Ghada Jamhour Halawani & Mahdi Halawani.

Personal Reflections on Palestine and Coronavirus: Between the Quotidian and the National –  Zeina Abu Zarqa

What did the 2000 Intifada Inspire? – Dr Mohanad Mustafa

Whilst serving as a focal point for the publication of groundbreaking new research, Jadal also promotes the work of up and coming Palestinian scholars and supports them in the development of their academic careers.

Mada al-Carmel will continue to examine the political fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic, including at its 2021 annual conference. This will be held on the 30th of May.

Jadal Issue (No’ 38) is Available only in Arabic.

To read the issue (in Arabic), click here.