Circles of Exclusion: The Politics of Health Care in Israel

Ideology is probably not separable from health policy analysis in any context, and this is even more the case when the health system in question is part of a constant state of geopolitical conflict. In Circles of Exclusion, Filc is clear about where he stands regarding the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, or with respect to political economy. In his view, Israel's physical presence—what he calls the occupation—in the West Bank is the primary driver of all that happens in the Palestinian health system or indeed in the Israeli health system as well.According to Filc, the abandonment of values of social solidarity in favor of neoliberal economic policy lies behind the increasing inequities in access and health outcomes in Israel. Furthermore, what he calls the “institutional structure of citizenship” leads to exclusion of Israeli Arabs, in particular Bedouins as well as migrant workers, from access to health care, resulting in relatively poor health outcomes in these groups.