This article builds on Engebretsen and Baker's editorial to explore recent developments in medical neutrality, the depoliticization of healthcare, and political intervention in the context of the war in Gaza. We examine how international health organizations have increasingly, though insufficiently, taken a political stance, criticizing the detrimental structural forces affecting Palestinians' life and health. Concomitantly, many Israeli healthcare professionals and organizations have shifted from a declared neutral stance to endorsing the state's official narrative. Additionally, we analyze the connections between settler colonialism, Israeli and U.S. policies, medicine, and international health organizations. While the discourse of decolonization provides valuable historical context for understanding the ongoing oppression of Palestinians, it often obscures critical issues, particularly the atrocity of the October 7 attack. We conclude by discussing the shift from literal denial to interpretive and implicatory denial, emphasizing the role of international health professionals and organizations in confronting these pervasive forms of denial.
Orr, Z. and Zielinska, A. C. (2025). Depoliticization, Colonialism, and the Imperative to Disrupt Denial. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, (), 1-13. doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.8761
MLA
Orr, Z. , and Zielinska, A. C.. "Depoliticization, Colonialism, and the Imperative to Disrupt Denial", International Journal of Health Policy and Management, , , 2025, 1-13. doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.8761
HARVARD
Orr, Z., Zielinska, A. C. (2025). 'Depoliticization, Colonialism, and the Imperative to Disrupt Denial', International Journal of Health Policy and Management, (), pp. 1-13. doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.8761
CHICAGO
Z. Orr and A. C. Zielinska, "Depoliticization, Colonialism, and the Imperative to Disrupt Denial," International Journal of Health Policy and Management, (2025): 1-13, doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.8761
VANCOUVER
Orr, Z., Zielinska, A. C. Depoliticization, Colonialism, and the Imperative to Disrupt Denial. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 2025; (): 1-13. doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.8761
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