The British journal 'The Lancet', which holds a prestigious position in global scientific circles, has revealed a growing international movement aimed at boycotting the Medical Association of the Israeli occupation authorities. This move comes against the backdrop of the Association's negative stance on the ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip, and the systematic destruction of Palestinian health facilities that resulted from it.
The leading medical journal published an article explicitly calling for the suspension of the Israeli Association's membership in the World Medical Association, emphasizing the need for a firm stance on the violations that have affected the health system in Gaza. This call has sparked a wave of concern within medical circles in 'Tel Aviv', where Hebrew reports warned of the repercussions of this step on the occupation's scientific standing and its ability to conduct joint research.
For his part, Ido Wolf, head of the Oncology Department at Ichilov Hospital, expressed his deep concerns about the success of the boycott campaign, stressing that it could lead to suffocating medical isolation. Wolf pointed out that these measures would negatively affect the supply of innovative medicines, training programs, and international research cooperation, on which the Israeli medical system heavily relies.
This global movement is led by a group of health organizations and activist doctors, most notably the 'People's Health Movement' and the 'Doctors for Gaza' organization active in the Netherlands. The 'Health Council for Jewish Voice for Peace' also participates in the campaign, adding broad human rights momentum to the demands for accountability of medical institutions affiliated with the occupation.
The campaign organizers directly accuse the Israeli Medical Association of abandoning its ethical, humanitarian, and professional obligations. Activists believe that the Association's absolute silence regarding the occupation army's targeting of hospitals, clinics, and ambulances, as well as the arrest and killing of medical personnel, constitutes unacceptable complicity in war crimes.
According to media sources, the campaign has so far succeeded in collecting signatures from more than 1150 individuals and health institutions around the world, as part of organized legal efforts. These efforts aim to officially include the issue of 'Israel's' expulsion on the agenda of the World Medical Association's General Assembly, scheduled to convene next October.
In contrast, the Israeli Medical Association tried to defend its position by describing these accusations as 'lies', warning that these steps represent a dangerous precedent that could lead to a comprehensive isolation of the academic and medical sectors. However, Lesley London, a professor at the University of Cape Town, asserts that the Association did not play any role in preventing the atrocities suffered by Palestinians, but rather provided implicit cover for them.
Despite the World Medical Association currently rejecting calls for expulsion on the pretext of maintaining channels of communication, popular and professional pressures continue to escalate. This confrontation is a new episode in 'The Lancet's' series of criticisms of the occupation, as the journal previously published letters in 2014 accusing 'Tel Aviv' of committing explicit war crimes.
The Israeli Medical Association was complicit in the unimaginable brutal operations inflicted upon Palestinians during the war.
שתף את דעתך
International Medical Movement to Isolate the Israeli Medical Association and Freeze its Global Membership