Kerman University of Medical Sciences International Journal of Health Policy and Management 2322-5939 14 1 2025 12 01 Depoliticization, Colonialism, and the Imperative to Disrupt Denial; Comment on “The Rhetoric of Decolonizing Global Health Fails to Address the Reality of Settler Colonialism: Gaza as a Case in Point” 1 5 4715 10.34172/ijhpm.8761 EN Zvika Orr Selma Jelinek School of Nursing, Jerusalem College of Technology, Jerusalem, Israel 0000-0003-3953-5099 Anna C. Zielinska Department of Philosophy, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France Archives Henri-Poincaré, CNRS, Nancy, France Sciences Po Paris, Nancy, France 0000-0002-0300-7297 Journal Article 2024 08 15 <span class="fontstyle0">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 US 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.</span>  https://www.ijhpm.com/article_4715_5b0fa0e4c041548bb6289e15d865a696.pdf