Palestine

Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a de jure sovereign state in Western Asia claiming the West Bank (bordering Israel and Jordan) and Gaza Strip (bordering Israel and Egypt) with Jerusalem as the designated capital, although its administrative center is currently located in Ramallah.

The entirety of territory claimed by the State of Palestine has been occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967.

Palestine has a population of 4,816,503 as of 2016, ranked 123rd in the world.

Palestinian neurosurgery started with Dr. Antone Tarazi as the first Palestinian neurosurgeon. Before that, there was no organized neurosurgery specialty, and general surgeons performed neurosurgical procedures. Here we review the history of neurosurgery and neurosurgical applications in Palestine, evaluate some limitations of the current system, and discuss major challenges to improving this system.

Darwazeh et al., collected information from various sources in either English or Arabic.

The development of neurosurgery and neurosurgical training in Palestine began in 1960 with the first center established in Jerusalem, which provided much-needed neurosurgical services and training in the fields of neurosurgery and neurology. Palestine has produced a number of its own neurosurgeons and has promoted further progress by establishing the Palestinian Neurosurgical Society in 2014. Today, there are 34 neurosurgeons (including 1 female neurosurgeon) and 17 residents providing expert care in 17 centers across Palestine, along with 1 neurosurgical residency program.

Neurosurgery in Palestine has faced many challenges, some of which have been overcome. However, there remain many challenges, which will require much time and effort to surmount. Political stabilization is a significant factor in the progress of neurosurgery in Palestine ¹⁾.