1. The Galilee Society Newsletter
In This Issue: Issue 17, November 2005
• Asbestos Case Mobilizes Galilee Society • Renowned Palestinian Cancer
Environmental Justice Center and Naqab Researcher, Dr. Nabil Hanna, speaks at
Department the Galilee Society
• Director of Healing Across the Divides, the
• Al-Maissam Medicinal Plants Center – A
Main Donor of Galilee Society Diabetes
Traditional yet Modern Success Story
Project, Visits Tamra
• World AIDS Day Approaching: Galilee
Society Increases Focus on its HIV/AIDS • Other News in Brief and How to Donate
Awareness Project
Asbestos Case Mobilizes Galilee Society Environmental Justice
Center and Naqab Department
The Galilee Society Environmental Justice Center, together with
the Naqab Department, have welcomed a decision by the Israeli
Ministry of Education to contribute 200,000 NIS (US$ 42,000)
toward the renovation of the roof of Tel Kseif elementary school
in the Bedouin township of Kseife in the Naqab (Negev). The
decision was reached shortly after asbestos was discovered in
the roof of the school and the Galilee Society initiated a
campaign on behalf of the students’ parents.
The matter was brought to the attention of Galilee Society staff
during a visit to Kseife in September this year. According to the
Environmental Justice Center staff, the presence of asbestos
was evident and at the time of the visit the students of the
school were already on strike in protest of the poor condition of
the roof. Asbestos constitutes a serious health hazard as
continuous inhalation of it can cause cancer of the respiratory
system. In fact several of the students at the school have
already shown signs of illness as a result of it.
Upon confirming the asbestos problem, a meeting was arranged
with the Parents’ Committee at the school and it was agreed that
the Galilee Society should represent them in their case against
the responsible authorities. Shortly after this, the Galilee Society
Environmental Justice Center sent a letter to the Ministries of
Education, Health, and Environment, as well as the Local
Authorities and the Regional Department of Education,
demanding action to be taken to provide a safe environment for
the children of Kseife to study. A swift response from the

2. Ministry of Education promised a transfer of 200,000 NIS to the
Local Authorities, putting them in charge of organizing the
renovation of the roof.
The transfer of funds was recently confirmed by the Department
of Education and the Galilee Society is now following up the
issue with the Local Authorities of Kseife. Work on the roof is
due to take place during the school winter holidays, effectively
setting the deadline for the completion of work in mid-January.
Should the Local Authorities not have fulfilled their duty by that
time, the Galilee Society is prepared to submit a petition to the
High Court of Justice.
Al-Maissam Medicinal Plants Center – A Traditional yet Modern
Success Story
The Palestinian people, and the Arab world in general, enjoy a
long and proud history of medicine and hold vast experience in
indigenous medicinal plants. Ironically however, this tradition is
finding itself under threat, at a time when the desire for precisely
such natural remedies and traditional cures is on the rise among
the health conscious populations of Europe and North
America.(1)
This paradox is what set the backdrop for the establishment of
the Galilee Society’s Al-Maissam Medicinal Plants Center for
Research & Education. Situated in the Arab village of Kufr
Kanna in Israel, this center has for the past five years played an
important role in reviving interest in indigenous Palestinian
medicine among the Arab community in Israel and the center
continues to work to preserve and develop this important
heritage. Set up as a hot-house to preserve native medicinal
plants, the center soon turned into the biotechnology center we
see today, complete with laboratories, greenhouse, lecture hall,
a small aviary and bee hives.
The collection and preservation of traditional plant species
remains one of Al-Maissam’s main objectives. The greenhouse
at the site currently holds some 150 species used in indigenous
Palestinian medicine and extensive research into these plants
and their potential uses continues both at Al-Maissam and the
Regional R&D Center.
Another of the guiding principles of the center however, puts
great emphasis on involving the community and providing
various educational activities, thereby encouraging scientific
research in general as well as preserving the specific know-how
related to the preparation of traditional remedies. According to
the director of Al-Maissam, Dr. Omar Said, this community
involvement is one of the main achievements and objectives of
the center: “people here should understand deep inside that this
is part of their national and cultural identity and they should take

3. part in treating the environment in a more respectful way”.
Through projects such as “Young Researchers” and a program
for School Research Projects some 1,500 young students have
already taken part in unique research projects at Al-Maissam,
either in addition to their school work or to gain extra credits for
their matriculation exams. The center is also open for group
tours and has, to date, been visited by more than 35,000 school
students as well as members of the general public.
Another fairly recent educational initiative, run in cooperation
with Al-Ahali Center for Community Development, focuses on
educating women in the uses of medicinal plants and
encouraging them to start their own small business. Around 150
Arab women in Israel have participated in this project and
several of them now run their own small businesses producing
various natural health-care products.
A third main objective, completing the center’s holistic approach,
looks to the future and strives to come up with innovative new
products through a combination of tradition and modern science.
As Dr. Said says, “other people who are dealing with traditional
plants have only dealt with the heritage aspect of it. This is a
mistake!” In fact, raising people’s interest in the heritage
requires turning it into a product through using new technology:
“the addition of modern science is what makes our heritage
wisdom”.
All the hard work and research into medicinal plants conducted
at Al-Maissam and the R&D Center in the past ten years has in
recent times been generously rewarded. In the past year a new
partnership has been struck with Sprunk-Jansen, a Danish
company distributing herbal remedies for the international
market.(2) These products, for which Antaki (a company set up
with the aid of the R&D Center) exclusively provides the plant
extracts, are the first to be based on traditional Arab medicine
and marketed on such a scale.
Continuing its research and innovation, the latest discoveries of
the Antaki scientists include the first natural remedy against
heartburn and negotiations are currently underway with an
Israeli company for marketing this product. Another important
project concerns the development of a natural treatment for
diabetes, which in informal tests suggests that type 2 diabetes
patients, who currently use insulin treatment, might be able to
give up their medication altogether and replace it with this
natural remedy. The research on this project is still incomplete;
however tests done so far show excellent potential.
- Picture shows Dr. Omar Said presenting the work of Al-
Maissam to a group of visitors.
1. The global market for herbal medicines currently stands at
over US$120 billion annually and is growing steadily.

4. 2. For more information on their products, see
World AIDS Day Approaching: Galilee Society Increases Focus on
its HIV/AIDS Awareness Project
On 1 December, as World AIDS Day is organized for the 18th
consecutive year, civil society actors across the world once again join
their efforts in the campaign against HIV/AIDS. Initially the result of a
summit of health ministers in London in 1988, World AIDS Day aims to
raise awareness about the disease, to call for action and to put
pressure on governments and organizations that have made
commitments to fight HIV/AIDS.
Despite campaigns and promises, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to
spread and the death toll continues to grow, particularly in the
developing world. According to UNAID, more than 40 million people
worldwide are currently estimated to be living with HIV. In 2005 alone,
nearly 5 million people acquired the disease and more than 3 million
people lost their lives in the AIDS epidemic.(1) It is therefore crucial to
continue fighting the spread of the disease, through raising awareness
and calling for appropriate preventive measures to be taken by decision
makers.
The Galilee Society is also stepping up the work on its HIV/AIDS
Awareness program (for more details about this project, see the article
in our Newsletter Issue 16) as World AIDS Day approaches.
A special HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will be organized at the Carmelit
high school in Haifa on World AIDS Day. This school was chosen for
the event because of the unique situation of its students as Arabs in the
mixed Arab-Jewish city of Haifa. These youth are to some extent
caught between two cultures; the traditional Palestinian Arab one and
the more Western Jewish-Israeli culture. This puts youth in a
particularly vulnerable situation, due to the taboo status of sexually
transmitted disease and consequent unavailability of information on the
one hand, and the openness of Israeli society on the other.
Several lectures and workshops have also been organized by the
Galilee Society in Arab high schools on the issues of HIV/AIDS and
sexual health at the end of November, in Ibillin, Majd al-Krum, and
other locations. The workshops raised students’ awareness and trained
selected groups to perform further lectures and activities for their fellow
students. Special study packs have been compiled for these students,
prepared by the Galilee Society, complete with leaflets and literature on
sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS, on confidential HIV-testing
clinics and a PowerPoint presentation containing a wide range of
HIV/AIDS related information.
A further initiative has been taken to involve Imams (Muslim religious
leaders) in the campaign. Letters have been sent out through the Israeli

5. Ministry of Religion to call on these influential leaders to engage in the
problem of HIV/AIDS and to promote awareness in their communities
and mosques.
Culturally-specific language was used with care to appeal to the
religious communities in the letters – stressing the dual importance of
knowledge and values in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Using the analogy
of a rowing boat, the Galilee Society demonstrated to Imams how,
without both oars (representing knowledge and values) operating
simultaneously, the boat would go round in circles, descending into
ignorance or moral vacuum and radically increasing the risk of
exposure to HIV/AIDS.
The Imams were thus invited to take part in the campaign by talking
about the issues related to the disease as part of their everyday work
and the Galilee Society is willing to provide them with additional
information and materials should they wish.
In addition to these activities, the Galilee Society has welcomed the
presence of a new Program Director for the Church of Scotland (the
main funder of the Galilee Society project), Ms. Jen Zielinski, based in
Tiberias. This has led to greater involvement in the project for the
Church of Scotland and a closer relationship between the two
organizations.
The Galilee Society Health Rights Center has also produced a
brochure on HIV/AIDS awareness for the Arab population in Israel. This
is now available in Arabic on our website. See
1.
Renowned Palestinian Cancer Researcher, Dr. Nabil Hanna,
speaks at the Galilee Society
On 1 November 2005, the renowned Palestinian cancer
researcher Dr. Nabil Hanna gave a lecture at the Galilee
Society, entitled ‘The Discovery and Development of Rituximab
(Rituxan) for Therapy of Non-Hodgkin’s B Cell Lymphoma and
the Challenges for the Development of Biological Treatment’.
Dr. Hanna, a Palestinian-Arab citizen of Israel, has resided in
the United States since 1978, initially working for the NCI-
Frederick Cancer Research Center, then SmithKline Beecham,
IDEC Pharmaceuticals, and serving as Executive Vice President
of Research at Biogen Idec (the merger of Biogen and IDEC
Pharmaceutical) in 2002-03.
During his term at IDEC, in 1990-2002, Dr. Hanna led a team of
researchers through discovering and developing the antibody
Rituximab, now widely used in the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s B

6. cell lymphoma, a type of cancer affecting the lymphoid tissue,
which forms part of the lymphatic system.
The Rituximab treatment is unique in that it is the first method
using antibodies to be approved for cancer treatment, and today
it is considered the standard therapy for non-Hodgkin’s B cell
lymphoma across the world. One of the main advantages of
Rituximab is that little to no resistance is developed against it
and patients can therefore continue using this method of
treatment for recurring tumors. Moreover, not only is it used in
patients that fail to respond to chemotherapy, but the two
methods of treatment can be combined for improved results.
To date, the antibody has been produced to the value of more
than $2 billion, and hundreds of thousands of people have
benefited from the treatment. The discovery and continued use
of this antibody has also meant that advances were made in
terms of research on non-Hodgkin’s B cell lymphoma, as
continued testing of the treatment has resulted in increasing
knowledge about the mechanisms of the disease itself.
Dr. Hanna however points out that new targets, new
opportunities and new technologies are always needed. Work in
this field requires high risk strategies and, in the words of Dr.
Hanna, “what was good yesterday will not be good for
tomorrow”. Science therefore must keep evolving.
The lecture was attended by more than 70 members of the
public, a number of current and previous Galilee Society board
members and chairmen, as well as interested professionals,
researchers and scientists. The event also received extensive
coverage by local and national media.
Before the lecture Dr. Hanna enjoyed a tour of the Galilee
Society R&D Center, meeting with the center’s researchers and
discussing new ideas and potential future collaboration. As Dr.
Hanna’s visit coincided with the end of the Muslim Ramadan
month of fasting, the lecture was followed by a Ramadan-Iftar
dinner.
Director of Healing Across the Divides, the Main Donor of Galilee
Society Diabetes Project, Visits Tamra
The Galilee Society recently received a visit from the main
supporter of its Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
Awareness project, set up in the Arab town of Tamra in northern
Israel in May 2005.
Dr. Norbert Goldfield is the executive director of Healing Across
the Divides, a recently formed American organization that seeks
to improve the health of Israelis and Palestinians. Among other
projects, Healing Across the Divides also supports another

7. diabetes project through the UPMRC (The Union of Palestinian
Medical Relief Committees) in the West Bank, and Dr. Goldfield
visits both Israel and the Palestinian Territories regularly.
The project supported by Healing Across the Divides aims to
raise awareness and to educate a carefully selected target
group of diagnosed diabetic and cardiovascular disease patients
about the management and treatment of their condition and
associated complications. During this latest visit, on 28
September, Dr. Goldfield had the opportunity to speak to some
of the patients involved in the project and to hear their views on
the difficulties they face in managing the condition.
For example, many of the patients spoke about the difficulties
they faced in controlling their diets in social situations where
cultural norms more or less require them to eat, and to eat too
much and too sweet. Another problem brought up was the cost
of treatment, which for the poor becomes an impossibility and
leads many simply to ignore the disease. Dr. Goldfield’s
conclusion of this meeting was one he was already familiar with,
that the control of diabetes comes down to two aspects of
human dignity: “access to the needed services plus a desire to
be responsible for one’s health”.
Despite serious obstacles and gaps in the services available to
diabetes patients in Arab localities in Israel, Dr. Goldfield felt
encouraged by the humanity and commitment shown by the
physicians and health professionals involved in the project who
were also present at his meeting with the patients. As he put it in
his travellog, these “clearly had hopes that the project would
result in the needed community engagement in diabetes control
if the health of most of their patients was ever to improve”.
In addition to his meeting with the patients, Dr. Goldfield also
met with the Steering Committee for the project together with
Galilee Society staff, to discuss the future of the program. In the
coming year the project is due to be expanded to include other
localities in addition to Tamra, an initiative welcomed by Dr.
Goldfield. Initially the project will be introduced in the town of
Tira, but it is hoped the model used can spread further in the
near future.
At the Galilee Society, members of staff involved are also
pleased to see the progress made on the project. The
Municipality of Tamra recently contacted the different Kupat
Holim (sick funds) in Tamra, demanding they give more
emphasis to the treatment of diabetes by employing nurses
specialized in the treatment of this disease at their clinics. This
is a positive step because, as Mr. Mohammad Khatib, the
Galilee Society General Program Director, stated, “it is very
important for us to know that the local council supports our work
and wants to be more involved in the process of treating
diabetes”.

8. - Picture shows the Galilee Society’s General Program Director,
Mr. Mohammad Khatib (left), meeting with the Mayor of Tamra,
Mr. Adel Abu ElHieja (fourth from the left), and the Steering
Committee for the Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
Awareness project.
Other News in Brief and How to Donate
SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD OF AROMATIC AND MEDICINAL
PLANTS VISIT AL-MAISSAM AND R&D CENTER
As part of a field tour, a group of scientists from the Agriculture
Research Organization (ARO) in Israel, as well as scientists
from Jordan and the Palestinian Territories, paid a visit to the
Galilee Society on 14 November 2005. The group toured the
Galilee Society’s medicinal plants center, Al-Maissam, in Kufr
Kanna, having first been welcomed and listened to a brief
introduction to the Galilee Society at the Regional R&D Center
in Shefa-Amr.
The group of scientists was brought together by a shared
interest in aromatic and medicinal plants. Apart from the ARO’s
own research center Newe Ya’ar however, the Galilee Society’s
Al-Maissam is the only other center in the north of Israel that
focuses its research on medicinal plants, and the group was
therefore keen to visit the facilities.
The group of visitors was headed by Dr. Abed Gera from ARO
who was the organizer of the Symposium on Science of
Aromatic and Medicinal Plants, held in Nazareth the day before
the visit. This conference was organized within the framework of
the Multi-lateral Agriculture Research and Development (MARD)
and speakers included Dr. Hassan Azizeh, Mr. Khaled Khalil
and Dr. Omar Said.
- Picture shows Dr. Isam Sabbah presenting the Galilee Society
to visitors from the Agriculture Research Organization.
CHILDREN IN THE NAQAB TAUGHT “STEPS TO A HAPPY
DAY”
The Galilee Society Naqab department recently published
leaflets with advice for Bedouin children on how to have a safe
and happy day. The publication includes basic suggestions
relating to all aspects of their day: their time at home, their
journey to school and their school day. For example, it mentions
issues of personal hygiene, a good diet and general safety as
requirements. Further advice to the children includes playing
with their friends in a respectful way, avoiding violence and
protecting the environment by not littering.

9. Children in the Naqab grow up in very unfavorable
circumstances, as their villages often lack basic infrastructure
and general services. Especially in the unrecognized villages,
where the Bedouin population often lives in tin shacks or other
non-permanent structures and schools lack proper
infrastructure, children face many hazards throughout their day.
Furthermore, education levels concerning general health and
safety tend to be low among the Bedouins and access to
appropriate medical services is often limited.
This leaflet has therefore been produced to provide basic
guidance in an easily accessible way. It is to be distributed to
3,000 Bedouin children and will also shortly be available in
Arabic on our website.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE LAWYER APPOINTED MEMBER
OF THE NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION LEGISLATION
COMMITTEE
Mr. Shadi Azzam, the lawyer for the Galilee Society’s
Environmental Justice Center, was recently appointed a
member of the Legislative Committee for the Environment of the
Israeli Bar Association. The committee, to which every Knesset
(Israeli parliament) bill regarding environmental issues is
referred for their recommendations, is currently dealing with a
bill called the “Clean Air Act”.
FIRST AID COURSES ORGANIZED FOR PRESCHOOL
ASSISTANTS IN THE NAQAB
The Galilee Society Naqab department started their First Aid
courses for preschool assistants in the Bedouin villages in
September. Two groups of 15 girls and women have been
brought together to attend 20 weekly meetings. The course is to
be completed by the beginning of December.
These women all run nurseries in their homes or their villages.
However, the level of awareness regarding first aid and general
health issues is relatively low among the Bedouin population in
the Naqab, which is why the Galilee Society has initiated this
course. The majority of the meetings deal with first aid methods,
but other issues are also covered. For example, the women are
educated on household accidents, general health issues as well
as food hygiene.
UPCOMING EVENTS
6.12.2005: Study Day on the effects of Electro-Magnetic
Radiation (EMR) from cellular antennas, Shefa-Amr.
Organized by the Environmental Justice Department, this study
day includes both scientific and medical presentations on the

10. health and environmental consequences of proximity to cellular
antennas and considers the planning policies relating to their
location.
10.12.2005: Study Day on the Diabetes and Cardiovascular
Disease Project, Tamra.
This meeting is organized for the various health professionals
from the Kupat Holim (sick funds) involved in the Diabetes and
Cardiovascular Disease Project in Tamra. Speakers will include
the Mayor of Tamra, Mr. Adel Abu ElHieja, the chairman of the
board at the Galilee Society, Mr.Wael Omari, and Mr.Heidar
Abu-Ghosh from the UPMRC (the Union of Palestinian Medical
Relief Committees), who is running a parallel diabetes project
with Palestinians in the West Bank. The program includes
various lectures and presentations as well as a panel discussion
between different professionals involved, a diabetic patient and
a religious leader.
29.12.2005: Study Day on 15 years of Galilee Society work in
the Naqab, Beer Sheva.
Celebrating 15 years of work in the Naqab, the Galilee Society
is organizing a Study Day to present their achievements. This
will cover the history of the Galilee Society in the region as well
as the organization’s plans for the future. The participants will
include health professionals and social workers, as well as
representatives from the schools the Galilee Society works with
and other partners.
DONATE
Help achieve equitable health, environmental, and socio-
economic conditions and development opportunities for
Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel by supporting the Galilee
Society' work.
s
How to Donate to the Galilee Society
Tax-Exempt Donations
In order to facilitate giving, the Galilee Society is in the process
of gaining tax-exempt status in the United States, via the
Friends of the Galilee Society. Until the status is granted, tax-
exempt donations can be made through Healing Across the
Divides. To donate via Healing Across the Divides, please mark
contributions as donor-advised to the Galilee Society and send
to:
Norbert Goldfield, M.D.
Executive Director
Healing Across the Divides, Inc
PO Box 22
Northampton, MA 01061-0022
USA

11. Tel: +1 413 586 5226
Direct Donations
To donate to the Galilee Society directly, please send checks (in
any currency) payable to the Galilee Society at:
PO Box 330
Shefa-Amr, 20200
Israel
Alternatively, bank transfers (in any currency) can be made
directly to the Galilee Society' bank account. Account Name:
s
The Galilee Society: The Arab National Society for Health
Research and Services; Account no. 9800; Bank name and
address: Bank SWIFT code: POALILIT.
Please inform us of your donation at
The Galilee Society - The Arab National Society for Health Research and Services is a leading
community-based Arab NGO. The overriding goal of the Galilee Society is the achievement of
equitable health and socio-economic conditions for the Palestinian citizens of Israel.
The Galilee Society
P.O. Box 330, Shefa-Amr 20200, Israel
Tel.: +972 4 986 1171
Fax: +972 4 986 1173
Email: