A 'transitional' context for health policy development: the Palestinian case.

The objective of this article is to focus on the challenges and opportunities the Palestinian health care system is currently facing in a 'transitional period', which started subsequent to the Oslo Agreement in 1993. The characteristics of 'transition' have to be highlighted in order to understand the context and peculiarities in which the Palestinian health care system is operating. A descriptive analysis is provided of the historical, political, economic and socio-demographic elements to gain an insight into the complex context of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a country in 'transition'.