Forensic psychiatry in Israel: Some comparisons with England and Wales

Abstract

Abstract Israel is a nation of historical and political interest. Located in the Middle East, its peoples have their origins throughout the world. By ethnic background and religion, its inhabitants are made up mostly of Jews, with a significant minority being Muslim or Christian Arabs (Sluglett and Farouk-Sluglett, 1993). Small numbers of non-Arab Christians and Druze also live in Israel, which forms a confluence of Jewish, Christian and Muslim civilization (Goitein, 1974). It is a land stained by the blood of war, yet perceptive of an horizon of peace and mutual co-operation (Peres, 1993). The nation exists against a background of genocidal violence towards the Jewish people in Europe, and the concurrent aspirations of the Arab communities in Israel and the surrounding states of Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon to achieve their own national identities. A state of hostility exists in Israel which has been described as being neither war nor peace (Yaniv, 1993). It is in this context that forensic psychiatry in Israel is practised, though it is not yet recognized by the Israel Medical Association as a designated subspeciality, as is the case in England and Wales.