Comunicato stampa dell’AME

L’AME ha deciso di non partecipare al dibattito apertosi sulla stampa e su internet a proposito delle conseguenze della guerra e dell’attività assistenziali e sanitarie dei medici israeliani nei confronti della popolazione civile durante la guerra stessa, perché non siamo in grado di verificare la veridicità delle notizie riportate. Riteniamo che debba essere la Israel Medical Association o il governo israeliano a fornire la documentazione per controbattere le eventuali accuse. Qualunque comunicazione ci venga da questi inviata, verrà pubblicata sul nostro sito.

Il consiglio dell’AME.

In seguito alla nostra dichiarazione, segnaliamo un articolo che pubblichiamo di seguito.

The Lancet editorial entitled “Violent conflict: protecting the health of civilians” (January 10th 2009), and subsequent articles that focused on the war in Gaza, cannot remain unanswered by the Israeli medical community in general and the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) in particular.
Although war operations are conducted by the army, the values concerning humanity and sacredness of human life and the importance of provision of medical treatment to all, concurrent with the Hippocratic Oath, prevail in all walks of life in Israel.
We would like to remind the editor of The Lancet that civilians dwell on both sides of the border of Gaza Strip and their life and wellbeing are equally important. However this is not clear to the Hamas, a terrorist organization that has taken control of Gaza and is committed to the destruction of the State of Israel.
Hamas has, for the last eight years, fired thousands of rockets into Southern Israel, targeting and purposely hitting a peaceful civilian population. Hamas unilaterally declared at the end of December 2008 that the cease fire with Israel was over.
This declaration was accompanied by firing 60-80 mortar shells and missiles a day towards Israeli homes, causing destruction, death and physically and mentally wounded people. This development left the Israeli government no choice but to stop this unacceptable violence inflicted upon its civilians.
There is no country in the world that would be prepared to accept 8 consecutive years of continued missile and rocket attacks on its citizens.
Operation “Cast Lead” is therefore a legitimate act that would have been conducted by any government facing the same situation. Nonetheless, the Prime Minister of Israel declared on the first day of the military operation that the Palestinian residents in Gaza are not enemies, but neighbors, and the goal is to return a peaceful existence to the inhabitants bordering the Gaza Strip.
We as health professionals deeply regret that during the clashes in condensed neighborhoods, as Hamas militia fighters operate within civilian populations, the latter are hurt. We regret that Hamas is using homes, schools, ambulances and children as shields and using mosques as warehouses for ammunitions and as spots from which to launch missiles and rockets at Israeli cities.
At the same time, Israel has continued to allow the supply of humanitarian aid of drugs, equipment and food to the Palestinians through the “humanitarian corridor”, even instituting unilateral cease fire blocks in order to let such aid through unimpeded. Israel also offered to admit wounded civilians into Israeli hospitals; however this offer was rejected and Hamas continues to prohibit Palestinian ill and wounded from being evacuated to Israel.
As Israel is a democracy which allows freedom of speech and action, there are continuous activities to monitor the acts of the army by human right movements and by the Israeli Medical Association. In addition, the IMA initiated the idea of erecting a field facility on the border between Israel and Gaza in order that, if the Hamas allowed, the sick and wounded could receive treatment there or be transferred to Israeli hospitals.
Dr. Blachar, president of both the IMA and the World Medical Association (WMA), brought this initiative to the Secretary General of the WMA. The Israeli government has given its consent to allow such a facility if it becomes a realistic prospect. Most recently, the Israeli Magen David Adom decided to open a clinic at one of the Crossings from the Gaza Strip and the IMA offered to assist in any way possible by supplying volunteer doctors, as needed.
Here, too, Tony Laurance, acting head of the WHO’s office in Gaza and the West Bank, said he doubted Palestinians would be allowed by their leaders to access the clinic, and in fact, almost none have taken advantage of it. Health professionals in Israel are sensitive to the suffering of the Palestinian civilians in Gaza Strip but at the same time must be, and are, sensitive also to the life and wellbeing of the Israeli population.

Prof. Elisha Bartov
Vice-President, Israeli Medical Association

04/02/2009 – Letter to the editor from Israel regarding editorial published on January 10th 2009