I request God that all of the dead from the current Libano-Israeli war rest in peace, and I beseech the medical community to do all that’s possible to stop this carnage on both sides.

Hnid Karim

I propose that researchers and doctors, especially MEMBERS OF WAME, as well as Arab and Jewish join together to create a medical review of world scale, in order to show to all the world that the Jews and Arabs can join together and link their efforts in a constructive direction, unlike the politicians who only speak the language of war and  force, regardless of the collateral damage (children and women massacred on both sides).

 Hnid

Thank you for reminding us of our responsibilities. Although I may be unduly pessimistic, I don't think it is realistic to hope for any collective action by the World Association of Medical Editors. Past experience of the WAME discussion list suggests to me that the divisions among members are likely to be too entrenched.

That is not to say that individual members of WAME should not express their support for those organisations in the region which have a longstanding track record of behaving in ways that medical professionals should behave. Personally, I support two organisations for which I have had a longstanding  respect: Physicians for Human Rights-Israel(http://www.phr.org.il/phr/) and the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (http://www.pmrs.ps/).

Others may like to consider supporting these or other medical organisations—particularly in Lebanon—which they know have endeavoured to uphold professional values in the appalling circumstances of the Middle East.

Shalom/Salaam/Peace,

Iain Chalmers

I support this idea. Let us show to the world that we, especially the members of medical profession, by initiating a cooperation among all involved sides can prevent future generations from the prolonged education of hatred.

Kartono Mohamad

I will be in on this!

Vivienne Miller

If we don't make any effort, then there is even less proof that two opposite sides can work together. No one wants war, but if there is to be one, we should all build on anything positive that we can (even if it can't stop the fighting).

Vivienne Miller

Count me in.

Regards,

Sam Sussman

As a first hand witness to the terror of this conflict, let me lend my one hundred percent support to this project.

I do think it can help, and efforts of this sort, such as joint conferences, have already been conducted mostly through the support of the US State Department.

As far as content is concerned, I have found physicians on both sides hungering for knowledge, and, therefore, review articles and practical articles would be most appreciated. All WAME members should consider contributing an article from their speciality to support the disemmination of updated medical knowledge.

To further this idea, I have added on to this letter, the present editor in chiefs of the Israeli Journal of Emergency Medicine and the discussion site of the Israeli Association of Emergency Medicine. Furthermore, I have added two Arab colleagues who may be interested in this vital project.

I think for this project to work, politics must of course be left out, but, in addition, countries that do not currently have relations with each other should be urged to cooperate, as this will lend legitamacy to our goals.

Peace is rarely accomplished by politicians—our statement can make quite an impact. Let us start with a WAME statement encouraging this journal, and then have it published in subscribing journals.

Peace is nothing more than vision.

Yosef Leibman
Founding Editor, IJEM 

This is a good idea. The medical world has to come out to prove what we can do. This Israeli-Arab war is being mishandled by politicians who seem to have certain hidden agendas. But as noble individuals, I hope the medical world can help move some of the agendas forward and by such ventures, we can let both groups see what is right and what is not.

Peace to all.

Abubakar Yaro

Even if it’s said to be utopia, I join you for such generous idea.

Henri Bensahel
Editor, Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics (JPOB)

I also think it is a good idea—though the success obviously depends on having initial contributors.

I think such a journal should be independent from any commercial publisher and should be open access (not subscription based), to gain appropriate visibility. We should actively solicit articles on the humanitarian impact of the current conflict, case studies from ERs in the region, etc.

Funding is obviously an issue.

I am offering our help in setting up a journal shell (Web site with manuscript management system OJS 2.x).

Gunther Eysenbach

From our apocalypse in Lebanon, I see hopes in good intentions like medical communities throughout the world. Indeed, I agree with you, very dear Yosef, peace is rarely accomplished by politicians (and never by arms), and we all have more hopes in those that swear the Hippocratic Oath.

Thank you all for such initiative. I am 100% ready and will talk to colleagues.

Peace, Shalom, and Salaam on All.

Nadia Cheaib-Jelly

A journal created in a similar spirit to the one being proposed already exists. It is called Bridges and it is sponsored by the World Health Organization. Its mission statement is reproduced below. It is produced by joint Israeli-Palestinian editorial and production teams.

The journal is freely accessible on the web. See: http://www.bridgesmagazine.org/index.php

If anyone wishes to contribute articles to this journal please see the Web-site or contact:

World Health Organization
Old Nablus Road
Sheikh Jarrah
P.O. Box 54812
Jerusalem

Tel: + 972 2 5400595
Fax: +972 2 5810193
bridges@who-health.org

Hooman Momen 

Mission Statement

Bridges, the Israeli-Palestinian Public Health Magazine, is a unique publication conceived, written, edit­ed, produced and managed jointly by Palestinian and Israeli academ­ics and health professionals under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO). The maga­zine embodies the WHO paradigm of “Health as a Bridge for Peace”: the integration of peace-building concerns, strategies and practices with health care. Developed with health care professionals, decision makers and academics in mind, the magazine covers public health top­ics relevant to both populations and seeks to analyze the impact of the conflict on the health and well-being of both societies. In both structure and content bridges is a coopera­tive endeavor seeking to build rela­tionships, links and common under­standing.

Thanks for letting us know about such a journal, Momen. 

So the work so many want (of Arab-Israeli cooperation rather than confrontation) maybe forwarded through it, if the proposal of a new journal cannot generate sufficient momentum to translate enthusiasm to action. Activities such as cultural, scientific, and health related exchanges between warring nations and communities can thaw so much anger and nurse past hurts, resentment, and prejudice, which are the root cause of inter-nation and inter-faith strife (as we realise in India and Pakistan). That is, provided they are sustained, and the spirit is not dampened. Such activities can also force politicians, and violent groups and the ideologues who support them, as well as fundamentalist and terrorist organisations, to come to terms with the inadequacies of their methods.

So they are compelled on the path of reconciliation and dialogue, rather than violence and terror. I wonder, however, if such an activity can be on the agenda of an organisation like WAME.

But, since WAME is a representative organisation of editors from all over the globe, it surely can be a forum that allows for such views to be expressed, so some like minded can take it up and form a suitable action group.

Ajai Singh

Dr Momen,

I had no idea that such a journal already existed and that it is based walking distance from my hospital (Bikur Holim in Jerusalem). Please consider visiting us. I have many physicians— Arab and Jewish—that would be interested in being invovled. 

Dr Cheaib, 

Your letter was heart warming. Often the scientific community can accomplish what politicians cannot. Let us all commit to the ideals that we learned in our training—the gift of human life and treasuring our service to man.

Dr Singh,

I think your call for practicality is the best one right now. I would like to propose that WAME organize a conference in a nearby neutral country to get us all to meet with each other to organize further cooperation. The invovlement of editors not involved in the conflict would greatly aid to bolster the project. I am unfamiliar with the political vagaries of the various countries in the Middle East, but I do know that Israel and many of the Arab countries have good realtions with Jordan, Cyprus, and Greece, which are nearby and have minimal safety concerns. Egypt and Turkey are also possibilities. I would be able to serve on an organizing committee.

Colleagues,

Can we bring this enthusiasm to its rightful conclusion?

Yosef Leibman
Founding editor, IJEM

If this journal had ARABO-ISRAELI JOURNAL as a name, I believe that everyone would know it, but unfortunately Bridges is not so striking as ARABO-ISRAELI JOURNAL.

On  the other hand, the conflict seems to enclose the entire Arabic nation, not Palestinians alone.

I hope that the Arab doctor members of WAME will be able to tell us their opinions, since it is an essential share for the realization of the project.   

Finally, for those who do not know it, I am Moslem but not Arab, therefore my opinion remains a proposal which must be accepted by Arabic and Israeli MEMBERS OF WAME to be  born.

Hnid

I think the political realities are such that non-Israeli Jews and non-Arab Moslems are very closely related to this conflict—Iran, Indonesia, and Pakistan for example are non-Arab countries as well, and have an interest in this situation. Truth be told, we need to involve everyone.

I am the only Israeli who has yet replied, but there is only one other, who I am sure will reply soon, that is a member of WAME.  

We all know the trouble involved in a new journal—it is tiresome and takes a lot of time until results are seen. If there is a WHO-sponsored journal that already exists, changing a name is a simple thing, and this would just leave us the job of raising its impact factor.

Leibman, Yosef

I've lurked and listened with interest to the ideas about the journal-without-borders idea. I wonder if a title that reflects that concept, rather than specifying parties, wouldn't have some advantages (for example, The Journal of Middle Eastern Medicine). That sounds awkward as written, and might smack of a western mentality. On the other hand, the title attempts to transcend political borders while avoiding the problem of what you CALL the human beings who live in a region. 

Respectfully,

John R. Rodgers

I did respond (favourably)  to the idea a few days ago, but for some reason my message bounced back.

Another thought would be to open EMAME to everyone in the area. I tried now for several years but, as an Israeli, could not get on. This decison seems counter to the positive and constructive sense of the emails I am reading on WAME. I think the idea of a conference in a nearby country (Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Malta?) is a wonderful one, and I would be most willing to participate.

Thanks to all.

With respect,

A. Mark Clarfield

I do not wish to dampen people’s spirits, but the focus of the proposed journal is not clear, at least not to me. For the journal to be sustainable, its aims and scope need to be addressed sooner rather than later. I might also caution that a largely non-medical “raison d’etre” (eg to demonstrate the capacity for people  from diverse backgrounds to work together and/or provide a forum in this day and age for multiple viewpoints to be expressed) is likely to render the journal more vulnerable, for a variety of reasons, than an apolitical medical journal. I worry about the longevity once initial enthusiasm wanes or people’s priorities and energies are diverted elsewhere. Having said that, I would be thrilled if it transpired that my reservations proved unfounded. Thus, count me in.

Garry Walter
Health Editor, Australasian Psychiatry

I am afraid I must agree with Garry Walter. Unless this is well conceived with all the essential elements spelled out and agreed in advance, it is likely to be a short-lived effort, no matter how well intentioned. I am willing to help and agree in principle that something along these lines would be welcome, but only if it has all the necessary underpinnings. As it stands, it does not seem to be that it does.

Barry Pless

We (Scientifics)  want neither resistance, such Hizbollah or Hamas, nor occupations, such as Israeli armies occupation in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. Scientifics want peace and conflicts resolution around a table! Thus, if a journal can solve such a hatred between two nations and bring them closer, why not make it even if the chances are very tiny? If the experiment  fails, we will not lose thousands of lives.   To those who criticize and think that the experiment will fail, I say think positive or shut up. There are too many deaths on the table!

As regards, the contents of the journal will be purely medical, and it will be a peer reviewed journal.

Hnid

Sorry you judged my response as negative. I tried to suggest that failing in this enterprise could be harmful in the long run and that those most eager for it to succeed need to do more homework. I still believe that, but as you so elegantly put it, I guess I have no alternative but to "shut up."

I might add that your other choice of vocabulary is troubling: to describe hisboallah and hamas as 'resistance' and not 'terrorists', and Israel as 'occupiers' does not seem a very wise way to get a peaceful enterprise launched. 

Barry Pless

Although I agree with Iain Chalmers that collective action by WAME would be difficult, I would certainly support any realistic effort to bring together medical professionals from all sides. I'm currently the vice president of Physicians for Human Rights-USA, and encourage everyone in medicine to get involved in the work of these and similar organizations. The address for the PHR-USA Web site is: www.phrusa.org

 Frank Davidoff

Anyone intersested in pursuing either the journal idea or the convention idea as a means to encourage Israeli-Arab understandings as has been discussed in this forum should contact Dr Kobi Assaf jassf@hadassah.org.il who has organized many of these ventures with the Palestinians. We should not let this valuable oppurtunity fail.

Dr Leibman

Please count me in .

A. Mark Clarfield

Should consider including nursing in this important initiative.

Laurie Gottlieb
Editor, CJNR (Canadian Journal of Nursing Research)

I do not wish to dampen people’s spirits, but the focus of the proposed journal is not clear, at least not to me. For the journal to be sustainable, its aims and scope need to be addressed sooner rather than later. I might also caution that a largely non-medical “raison d’etre” (eg, to demonstrate the capacity for people from diverse backgrounds to work together and/or provide a forum in this day and age for multiple viewpoints to be expressed) is likely to render the journal more vulnerable, for a variety of reasons, than an apolitical medical journal. I worry about the longevity once initial enthusiasm wanes or people’s priorities and energies are diverted elsewhere. Having said that, I would be thrilled if it transpired that my reservations proved unfounded. Thus, count me in.

Kind regards,

Garry Walter

I totally agree with Garry!!

When we talk about sustainability, we have to consider all these factors.

How about an online forum or a supercourse which would be more easy to handle and would have the luxury of getting contributions from people outside medical profession. It might have some disadvantages too, but let’s take it as a point to ponder.

Regards,

Ather Fazal
JPGME

I am afraid I must agree with Garry Walter…unless this is well conceived with all the essential elements spelled out and agreed in advance, it is likely to be a short-lived effort, no matter how well intentioned. I am willing to help and agree in principle that something along these lines would be welcome, but only if it has all the necessary underpinnings. As it stands, it does not seem to be that it does.

Barry Pless