US professional medical societies’ public statements regarding violence in Palestine and Israel from October to December 2023: a mixed-methods study

Objectives This study aims to analyse the quantity and content of publicly discoverable statements that US-based medical societies issued regarding the 2023 escalation of violence in Palestine and Israel. Design We conducted a mixed-methods study using an explanatory sequential design. Methods Inclusion criteria were defined as US-based medical societies from the American Medical Association House of Delegates, Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), or Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Council for Academic Specialty Societies, yielding 186 US-based professional medical societies. Descriptive statistics and oods ratios (ORs) were used to assess the association between society characteristics and odds of statement issuance. A qualitative inductive and deductive thematic approach was employed to identify themes from public statements made from 7 October 2023 to 7 December 2023. Results 22 professional medical societies (N=22/186, 11.83%) issued 20 unique public statements regarding violence in Israel and Palestine. Exploratory OR analyses suggested associations between statement issuance and several society characteristics, though CIs were wide and thus underscored uncertainty regarding the magnitude of these associations. Exploratory OR analyses suggested that statement issuance was associated with possession of a lobbying arm (OR 26.83, 95% CI 3.53 to 204.25, p<0.01); a society diversity, equity, and inclusivity initiative (OR 6.57, 95% CI 1.48 to 29.04, p=0.01); a society global health or international initiative (OR 3.11, 95% CI 1.23 to 7.86, p=0.02); a society land acknowledgment or indigenous health initiative (OR 8.47, 95% CI 1.60 to 44.99, p=0.01); and prior issuance of a statement about the Russo-Ukrainian War (OR 38.83, 95% CI 10.63 to 141.75, p<0.01). Of the 20 unique, publicly discoverable statements found, 25% (N=5/20) used verbiage indicating exclusive support for Israeli or Jewish civilians, while none expressed sole support for Palestinian civilians. Our qualitative analysis revealed three main thematic categories of statement content: (1) those expressing support for or condemnation of a specific group, (2) those providing historical context, and (3) those describing a society’s approach to statement issuance. Conclusion Most professional medical societies did not make a public statement regarding violence in Palestine and Israel, and societies that previously engaged in political or international advocacy were more likely to issue a statement. Statements generally avoided any historical, contextual, or geopolitical framing and were more likely to reference Israeli victims than Palestinian victims of violence as well as violence by Hamas than Israeli state violence.