1. T h e G a l i l e e S o c i e t y
N e w s l e t t e r
June 2003 Issue 3
The Galilee Society- The Arab National Society for Health Research and Services is a leading, community-based,
professional Arab NGO. The overriding goal of the Galilee Society is to achieve equitable health and socio-economic
conditions, and increase development opportunities for Palestinian Arabs in Israel, as individual citizens and as a
national minority through research, advocacy, demonstration, capacity building and awareness raising.
Read in this issue of the Galilee Society Newsletter
§ Capacity building: the GS grants 90 scholarships to Arab students in paramedical studies
§ Environment: The GS leads a campaign against building an incinerator in Shefa-Amr
§ International: GS General Director participates in the International Seminar on Rural Development in
Arid Areas in the Mediterranean
§ R&D: Local medicinal plants for the treatment of liver and skin diseases
§ New Director for the regional R&D Center
§ News in Brief
§ New staff member
§ Forthcoming events
Capacity building: 90 scholarships were granted to Arab students in paramedical studies
In a special ceremony applicants from the Negev region, as the need is
held on 31 May, 2003, greatest in that area. The selection committee includes
ninety scholarships were representatives from the GS and other professionals.
distributed to Arab
students for study in the The granted scholarship may reach 50% of the
paramedical fields . university tuition fees and grantees are required in
Speech therapy, return to volunteer in community services in the Arab
occupational therapy, special education, natural society. This may include activities such as raising
therapy and psychology are all professions in which awareness to prevent home accidents amongst
the community needs are the greatest. One children, providing school assistance to children
scholarship was also granted to a Ph.D. student to suffering from leukemia in Rambam Hospital in Haifa,
conduct and publish research on learning disabilities. providing occupational therapy to handicapped
This initiative is part of a joint project of the GS and children or helping with establishing a library for the
Reayah - the Organization for the Support of Arab blind in the Arab community.
Children, and was made possible thanks to funding
from the Helen Bader Foundation to Reayah for this Amongst the speakers at the ceremony were Mr.
purpose. Jiryes Abdo, Head of the Nursing Department at the
French Hospital in Nazareth who discussed domestic
Speakers at the ceremony emphasized the importance accidents amongst children. Prof. Shimon Sapir, Head
of this project to the Palestinian community in Israel. In of the Speech Disorders Department at Haifa
1999, the GS conducted a survey on the services University greeted the grantees and urged the
available to and required for Arab children with special students to continue their studies at the Masters and
needs . The survey results , which were adopted by Ph.D. degree levels, particularly as they have already
official parties and published in the Human Rights demonstrated academic excellence.
Watch report, showed serious lack in this domain.
Based on these findings , the Galilee Society launched An initiative to establish a speech therapy
a scholarship program in 2001 for the capacity building department in Ben Gurion University (BGU)
of Arab paramedical students and professionals in
Israel to respond to the lack in services for Arab In a meeting held on May 12th between the GS and
children with special needs and to overcome language BGU, the parties discussed and agreed on the
and cultural barriers when these children consult necessity of establishing a speech therapy department
Jewish paramedical professionals . in the BGU, which is vital to the capacity building of
Scholarships are granted according to six criteria Arab paramedical experts amongst the Bedouin
related to socio-economic background, field of study community in the Negev. BGU will prepare a proposal
and geographical location. Priority is given to to be submitted to the Higher Education Council. The
The Galilee Society P. O. Box 300, Shefa Amr 20200, Israel
Tel: 972 4 9861171 - Fax: 972 4 9861173 - Email: admin@gal-soc.org
www.gal-soc.org

2. GS was represented by Dr. Basel Ghattas, GS Since the start of the scholarships program several
General Direct, Dr. Camil Makhoul, Head of the Health achievements have been made:
Department and Dr. Hatim Kana'ane, Chair of the GS § Following advocacy efforts, Tel-Aviv University
regional R&D Center, while BGU was represented by accepted twelve new Arab students into the
Prof. Avishay Braverman, President, Prof. Jimmy program, whereas an average of only three Arab
Weinblatt, Dean, Prof. Rivka Carmi, Dean of the students were accepted annually in the past.
Faculty of Health Sciences and Prof. Yishai Tobin, § Awareness has been raised within educational
Department of Behavioral Sciences. establishments , and among potential students and
their communities of the need for Arab paramedical
Successe s in serving the community professionals including the skills and benefits that
they can bring to the profession in general.
§ Through individual presentations and through the
Scholarships by year two years public service in their communities that
91 each student has pledged to give upon completion
100
of their studies the wider public has also gained from
74
80 this project.
§ Lastly, but most importantly, Arab children with
60
33 special needs stand to gain in the long-term from the
40 rise in professional awareness and skills available to
20 their communities. This should encourage early
diagnosis of potential learning difficulties to provide
0 early remedies for such disorders, allowing these
99- 01 01-02 02-03 Year children to reach their full potential.
Environment: The GS leads a campaign against building a solid waste incinerator in
Shefa-Amr
By Raida Dada Karawani, Advocate, Environment Department
In a new approach to solve the solid waste problem in Israel, the Ministry of Environment is adopting waste
incinerators as a solution claiming that it works in Switzerland--so why not here?
A new incinerator site is planned 500 meters from houses in the Arab town of Shefa-Amr in northern Israel, where two
stone quarries already operate and two more are planned for 2008. The incinerator will have severe repercussions on
the health and environment of residents in the area especially, Arab Palestinians living in Shefa-Amr. 190 trucks are
expected to transport 1500 tons of waste every day to be burnt in the incinerator that will operate 24 hours a day. The
planned 48 meter chimney will disrupt the topographical harmony of the area and will emit gases , the most dangerous
being dioxins (used by U.S. Army in Vietnam for clearing leaves in the jungle) known for their resilience which enables
them to be reintroduced into water and plants. These dioxins are especially known for their carcinogenic effect and
reproduction disorders in women. At present, there are no monitoring systems or facilities in Israel to test these gas
emissions that are available in Switzerland. Furthermore, the Regional Building & Planning Committee has exempted
the entrepreneur from providing technological and geographical alternatives in the environmental impact survey that he
presented to the Committee.
The GS Environment Department is cooperating with Shefa-Amr's municipality and other local authorities in the area
as well as with Arab and Jewish environmental organizations who oppose this initiative. It has presented in a meeting
organized by the Ministry of the Environment its objections to the planned incinerator and will hold a public meeting to
raise awareness of the risks of such an unprecedented initiative and to establish a follow-up committee that includes
residents and community representatives to lead this campaign.
International: GS General Director participates in the International Seminar on Rural
Development in Arid Areas in the Mediterranean
Dr. Basel Ghattas, GS General Director, participated in the International Seminar on Rural Development in Arid Areas
in the Mediterranean that took place in Valencia between 4 -9 April, 2003. The Seminar was organized by CERAI (El
Centro de Estudios Rurales y Agricultura Internacional, Spain) with the participation of nine Mediterranean countries
Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, France and Spain. The objective of the seminar was to
establish a Mediterranean network which includes a pilot site in each member country with two main purposes : 1) to
promote rural development through the application of small projects and 2) to serve as a frame for exchange and
reflection on rural development technologies and promotion.
The GS, The Ahali Center for Community Development and the Arab Culture Association presented a common paper
on the socio-economic situation of Arabs in Israel and in the Negev in particular. This included a proposition for an
integrated rural development plan in the Negev in which a full proposal will be prepared by the three organizations to
be submitted for funding in partnership with CERAI.
The Galilee Society P. O. Box 300, Shefa Amr 20200, Israel
Tel: 972 4 9861171 - Fax: 972 4 9861173 - Email: admin@gal-soc.org
www.gal-soc.org

3. The visit to Spain was an occasion for Dr. Ghattas to hold fruitful meetings with Spanish NGOs and to learn about their
development activities and solidarity with the Palestinian people. As well, he introduced them with the situation of the
Arab minority in Israel emphasizing the fact that Palestinians in Israel are an integral part of the Palestinian people and
should be considered as such in the development policies and activities of these NGOs.
R&D: Local medicinal plants for the treatment of liver and New Director for
skin diseases the GS Regional
Dr. Bashar Saad, Associate Professor in Cell Biology R&D Center
In recent years many research groups worldwide have examined the effects of In its meeting on May 8th
plants used traditionally by indigenous healers and herbalists to treat various the Board of the GS
diseases. A recent survey of plants used in traditional Arab medicine conducted by Regional R&D Center
Dr. Hassan Azai zeh and Dr. Omar Said from the GS Regional Research & approved the appointment
Development ( &D) Center reported on twenty-four species used for treating
R of Dr. Bashar Saad as the
diabetes, twenty for treating liver diseases, thirty-three used for treating skin R&D Director starting July
diseases and disorders , and nine for treating cancer. 1st. Dr. Saad will be
replacing Dr. Hassan
One of the main goals of the research activity at the R&D Azaizeh who is taking a
Center is the evaluation of the ability of indigenous medicinal sabbatical.
plants to treat various skin and liver diseases , particularly Dr. Saad has a Ph.D in
those known for their effects and used in Arab traditional Biochemistry from the
medicine. University of Zurich and a
senior scientist in the R&D
Research on plant extracts that regulate the production levels Center. His main research
of cytokine in liver cells shows that the extracts may lead to the area is tissue engineering,
development of novel therapies, which may reduce the creation of in vitro systems
requirement for liver transplantation in this condition. In to evaluate the potential of
particular, we are interested in the development of novel pharmaceutical
therapies that specifically interfere with the action of selected compounds from
inflammatory mediators that have been implicated in both medicinal plants in the
hepatic inflammation and liver regeneration. Similarly, there treatment of liver and skin
are several lines of evidence that changes in cytokine diseases.
production by keratinocytes in the skin of patients may play an
important role in the propagation of the inflammatory response
in psoriasis. Accordingly, parameters such as the evaluation of
the effects of herbal extracts on the cytokine production by skin cells in vitro, may
be useful tools for the identification of new agents for the treatment of psoriasis.
News in brief
§ Round Table Meeting with GS partners A Round Table Meeting was held on May 9th with Sue Turrell
of Christian Aid (CA) and Erik Ackerman of ICCO, both organizations have continued to provide core support
for the GS for many years. The two representatives had previously received the 2002 Annual Report and the
work plan for 2003. In the meeting, each of the various department heads led a presentation on their work,
including plans for the coming year. The final session was dedicated to discussion of various issues raised by
the partners such as the extent of the GS involvement with grassroots .
§ USAID/MERC approves a new project to follow-up the "Advanced Extensive and Semi-Intensive
Technologies for Wastewater Treatment in Rural Areas". The new two years project will start on January 2004
with a budget of U.S. $492.000 and involving partners from Egypt, West Bank and Israel.
§ International Child Day Celebrated in Kseifeh In the frame of its programs for childhood the Galilee
Society, in cooperation with the Early Childhood Trust of Jerusalem , celebrated on June 2nd the International
Child Day in the Bedouin village of Kseifeh. 860 children were there to watch a puppet show, have fun with
the blow-up toys and participate in paintings workshops. The GS has established this tradition already in the
Bedouin towns of Tal El Sabe'a and Sheqib El Salam.
The Galilee Society P. O. Box 300, Shefa Amr 20200, Israel
Tel: 972 4 9861171 - Fax: 972 4 9861173 - Email: admin@gal-soc.org
www.gal-soc.org

4. New staff member
Ahmad Muhammad, a graduate in Information Technology from Germany, has joined the Galilee Society with
responsibility for the technical unit of Rikaz Databank. He has wide experience in development and set-up of
computerized systems and databases.
Forthcoming events
June 21 – Annual meeting of the Galilee Society's General Assembly.
June 26 – Organized visit for a number of embassies ' Scientific Attaches of the GS Regional R&D Center, Al-Maissam
and the Water Treatment Plant in Sakhnin
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The Galilee Society P. O. Box 300, Shefa Amr 20200, Israel
Tel: 972 4 9861171 - Fax: 972 4 9861173 - Email: admin@gal-soc.org
www.gal-soc.org