Touching the Other's Suffering: Cross-Cultural Challenges in Palliative Treatment Along Geopolitical Crossroads

Abstract

The authors describe the cross-cultural considerations in caring for a Palestinian breast cancer patient by an Israeli heath care team. The processes that facilitated a metamorphosis from possible hostility to receptiveness based on historical cultural conflicts were rooted in professionalism, patient-centered care, and cross-cultural sensitivity, woven into the patient's own health beliefs and affinity to traditional Islamic medicine.