PHA-Exch> The Lancet Jan 09: Health and human rights in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza

[Claudio Schuftan]

   From:    may_haddad at hotmail.com





*The Lancet * published an article today .
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login



  *Health and human rights in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza*
 The Lancet  9.1.2009 David
Worth<http://www.thelancet.com/search/results?fieldName=Authors&searchTerm=David+Worth>
a<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#aff1>[image:
Email Address] <dworth at doctors.org.uk>, Su
Metcalfe<http://www.thelancet.com/search/results?fieldName=Authors&searchTerm=Su+Metcalfe>
b<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#aff2>,
John Boyd<http://www.thelancet.com/search/results?fieldName=Authors&searchTerm=John+Boyd>
c<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#aff3>,
Adrian Worrall<http://www.thelancet.com/search/results?fieldName=Authors&searchTerm=Adrian+Worrall>
d<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#aff4>,
Paola Canarutto<http://www.thelancet.com/search/results?fieldName=Authors&searchTerm=Paola+Canarutto>
e<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#aff5>
 Palestine is split geographically into the West Bank and the Gaza strip.
Gaza is the most densely populated area on earth: after first being crippled
by blockade of its borders since 2007, Gaza is currently being bombed by the
Israeli armed forces.1<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#bib1>
Unlike Gaza, the West Bank does not threaten Israel with missiles, but
nevertheless suffers widespread erosions of human rights which we witnessed
on a fact-finding tour in November, 2008.
Restriction of movement due to the separation barrier and checkpoints,
combined with the need for travel permits, delay access to hospitals for
both patients and health workers. We saw 33-week-old triplets delayed for
over 5 h while awaiting permits and finally transferred without their
parents, and heard of hospital workers' commuting times increasing from 30
min to more than 2·5 h after the closure to them of nearby checkpoints. At
the medical schools we heard of the immense difficulties staff and students
face as a result of the paralysing restrictions on travel between
institutions in the Occupied Territories.
The total blockade of Gaza meant our entry there was denied, as it has been
for humanitarian workers and essential food, energy, and medical supplies
since the closure of the border in early November. We heard from Physicians
for Human Rights—Israel, of the reduction in exit permits being granted for
treatment outside Gaza, and of the practice of denying exit to some patients
unless they collaborate with the security service in intelligence gathering.
2<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#bib2>
We saw how the Palestinians' opportunities to make a living are being
eroded, both by illegal Israeli settlements on their farmland and by
discrimination against their industry.
Violence continues at all levels: we spoke with schoolchildren, injured in
stone-throwing attacks by Israeli children occurring while Israeli soldiers
looked on. Children as young as 12 years are prosecuted in the Israeli
military courts. The most common charge against children in the military
courts is for stone-throwing, which under military law carries a maximum
penalty of 20 years.3<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#bib3>
Our experience in the West Bank caused us grave concerns, which have been
realised more rapidly and deva-statingly than any of us could have
anticipated, in the current dispro-portionate attacks by Israeli forces on
Gaza. Our personal insight into this includes the attack by the Israeli navy
on the boat Dignity when underway to provide emergency health care to Gaza,
and which was carrying a member of our tour
group.4<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#bib4>
This report is for our colleagues around the world who might be unaware of
the deliberate erosion of human rights in both the West Bank and Gaza. We
suggest that, in view of the failure of other measures to influence those in
power, serious consideration be given to targeted academic and trade
boycotts.

*We declare that we have no conflict of interest.*
 References 1<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#back-bib1>
Falk R. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967.
http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/061f1f4fbdecffe5852574d60065b4ba!OpenDocument.
(accessed Dec 8, 2008).
2<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#back-bib2>
Physicians
for Human Rights—Israel. Holding health to ransom: GSS interrogation and
extortion of Palestinian patients at Erez crossing.
http://www.phr.org.il/phr/files/articlefile_1217866249125.pdf. (accessed Jan
5, 2009).
3<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#back-bib3>
Defence
for Children International. Palestinian child political prisoners: semi
annual report 2007.
http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?DocId=605&CategoryId=2. (accessed
Dec 8, 2008).
4<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60013-1/fulltext?_eventId=login#back-bib4>
Tran M. Israel accused of ramming Gaza aid boat. The Guardian Dec 30,
2008<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/30/israel-gaza-aid-ship>.
(accessed Jan 4, 2009).


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