Muhamad Hasrul Zakariah

This study re-examines the healthcare and humanitarian aid contributed by the British government and the British NGOs to the Palestinians during the Arab-Israelis War of 1967 and the current Covid-19 pandemic age. The objective of the research is to compare the significant efforts initiated by the British government and their NGOs to Palestine in two different occasions. After the end of Six-Day War of 1967, many Palestinian displaced persons lived in a poor condition at refugee’s camps scattered in Syria and Jordan.  As a result of the unhygienic and inadequacy of a basic living facilities such as a clean sanitation system, the refugees experienced various contagious and non-contagious diseases such as gastroenteritis, hepatitis A and diverse skin infections. During this difficult time, the British government, and NGOs tirelessly contributed in various means to assist the displaced individuals and refugees in handling health disaster. Subsequently, the same thing occurs when the World, including Palestine is haunted with the current invisible Covid-19 virus, which appears to be another health catastrophe to the Palestinians. Hence, this study is re-examining the role and contribution of the British government and their NGOs to assist the Palestine Authority to face the imperceptible enemy which caused a pernicious plague. Regardless of religious beliefs, the noble efforts of those parties are appearing to be a humanitarian bridge which connecting humankind across continents, generations, and political ideology.

This study is reassessing the geopolitical consideration of the British government in the Sixth Days of the Arab-Israeli War,1967. Based on declassified documents from the British’s archive, this paper will analyze the geopolitical factor which shaped London’s reaction towards the conflict. Middle East geopolitical position was very strategic to the British interests in the region. Hence, the focus of this paper is to re-examine the consequence of the war toward Britain’s attitude in preserving her strategic military position and economic calculation in the Middle East between 1960s to early 1970s. These including the paramountcy of the British military bases in the region, arm trade commercial activities and a disruption of the oil flow from the region to the West. From historical perspective and analysis, this paper argued that the threats from the Soviet and Arab nationalist movements during the conflict had significantly influenced the British government’s reaction towards the war. Although London did not involve directly in the conflict like in the 1956’s Suez Crisis, yet British’s response was still crucial since Britain was the prime architect in drafting and tabling the United Nation Resolution 242 after the war. Indeed, this research inclines to believe that the British equilibrium attitude as proclaimed during the conflict was not purely based on a principle of a just and lasting peace but it was very much relying upon geopolitical consideration of safeguarding British major strategic interests in the region.   .