Comments for The Lancet Global Health Network

Comment on The Wounds of Gaza or the Demise of Editorial Review? by Doron Dekel

Doron Dekel — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:16:47 +0000

Compared to the letter to which it responds, this letter is better phrased and more carefully written, but is also biased. Its bias is more subtle in that it doesn’t tell non-truths, only half-truths. For example, in describing the events that led to the attack, it doesn’t mention that a cease-fire existed earlier and that Israel was the first one to materially breach it, as it often did in the past ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-kanwisher/reigniting-violence-how-d_b_155611.html ). Even more troubling is that Israel carefully made plans to attack civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure, a fact that were either known to the authors or should have been ( http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1057648.html ). Once aware of the legal instructions to the Israeli army, one can reasonably conclude that the main purpose of calling civilians in advance of deliberately destroying their houses and their livelihoods and obviously putting their lives and limbs at risk, was to provide legal cover to the individual attackers.

Anyhow, it is clear that, as was the case with the US in Iraq, that all branches of a democratically elected government contributed actively to the decision to launch a highly disproportionate attack against a practically defenseless population when much less violent options to protect its citizens existed and weren’t fully explored.

I suggest we keep in mind Hannah Arendt’s phrase “the banality of evil”. Atrocities are not executed by fanatics or sociopaths, but rather by ordinary people who accepted the premises of their state and therefore participated with the view that their actions were morally justified.

Comment on The Wounds of Gaza by no name

no name — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:52:06 +0000

Sure our “indispensable ally” would not commit barbaric crimes on a civilian population? With an “ally” like this, won’t have any friends.

Comment on The Wounds of Gaza by Nadine Ali

Nadine Ali — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:53:16 +0000

Thank you so much for making this report available.

Comment on The Wounds of Gaza by Allen Cooper

Allen Cooper — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 06:09:48 +0000

I’m an investigative journalist with 40 years of radio and TV work as experience and have rarely in contemporary times seen or heard of so much horror as has been done to the Palestinian people by the Israeli government. The words I hear like genocide and war crimes seem to not have been overstated. How are we to stop this horror?

Comment on The Wounds of Gaza by Arab Jewish Partnership for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

Arab Jewish Partnership for Justice and Peace in the Middle East — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:29:40 +0000

First of all, thank you doctors Sittah and Ang for their courageous and valiant efforts on behalf of the suffering people of Gaza, and for sharing their experiences with the world via this blog.

I am writing, actually, to bring to your attention what I believe to be a serious factual error. In the beginning of this article, there is a reference to an alleged massacre by Israel of 35,000 Arab POW’s during the ‘67 war. Someone on our group’s listserve brought this to my attention as not sounding right. A brief search on the internet showed that there were allegations that the IDF murdered enemy soldiers, particularly Egyptian soldiers, rather than take them prisoner. While I could not find a total number on this, it appears that it was nowhere near 35,000 and even 3500 would be an excessively high number. I refer you to the following article on the subject:
http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0296/9602017.html

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

Comment on The Wounds of Gaza by F Altaf

F Altaf — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:27:32 +0000

Thank you very much for this detalailed account of the situation on the ground in Gaza. It is deeply saddening to see the palestinians whose lifes are considered worthless in the eyes of the Israeli government have been used to try out a series of devastating weapons. It is very easy to forget the ongoing suffering of the palestianians after the story comes off the media, thank you very much for reminding us that they must not be forgotten.

Comment on The Wounds of Gaza by Barry Hoffbrand

Barry Hoffbrand — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:34:38 +0000

For two British surgeons, Drs Ghassan Abu Sittah and Ang Swee are remarkably well informed on what happened in Gaza during the war between Hamas with Israel. Could it be that the PR department of Hamas provided a teeny bit of help with the copy, much of which is patently fabricated,for their contribution.

Their exercise in military analysis strangely makes no mention of the fact that Hamas have been waging war against Israel with rockets aimed at civilian populations for 8 years long before any “seige” and long after any “occupation” . Hamas have used dense population centres, not the leafy up-market residential areas of Gaza, for their rocket launchings, and mosques, schools and hospitals for storing armaments and combatants. The 6000 or so rockets fired at Israel and the employment of civilians as human shields both constitute war crimes.

The IDF is unique in the attempts it makes to limit civilian death and injury ( See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WssrKJ3Iqcw for an independent British military opinion)
The death and devastation in Gaza is a tragedy but Hamas has martyred its own people (and not just its Fatah opponents) in its genocidal hatred against Israel. They and their Iranian sponsors bear the responsibility for the suffering of the Gazans.

Comment on The Wounds of Gaza by SHAHSHAHANI Nicolas

SHAHSHAHANI Nicolas — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:34:26 +0000

The number of Egyptian POWs executed by the Israeli army in 1967, i.e. 35,000 according to the authors seems to be highly exagerated. Despite Israel’s official denials, there is compelling evidence that the Israeli army murdered hundreds of Egyptian soldiers who had surrendered, and wee unarmed. Hundreds, but certainly not 35,000. Also, the authors write about 1.5 million tons dropped on the Gaza strip within less than a month. I guess the authors wanted to say 1,500 tons, which is already an enormous quantity for such a small packed area. These might be details, but as a proverb says, we should not forget that a spoonfull of tar can spoil a barrel of honey.
Nicolas Shahshahani, Paris, France

Comment on The Wounds of Gaza by Gregory Cichy

Gregory Cichy — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:23:54 +0000

Doctors who believe in “Silent Bombs”?

Comment on Experiences of a medical student studying at Be’er-sheva, Israel by Gabriel M. Gurman, MD

Gabriel M. Gurman, MD — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:14:09 +0000

I do not know Rachel personally, but I have read her article, published in the last issue of the Ben Gurion University medical students’ newsletter (December 2008). I am sure that Rachel is a very optimistic person and a very dedicated student to her future profession.
But studying in a foreign country does not give her a chance to get accustomed with our reality. She might see a partial picture of what’s happening in this part of the country in the last 8 years. She did not see Sderot kids and adults dying in our ICUs as a result of being hit by one of the bombs sent from the Gaza strip. She did not see the amount of kids and adults suffering from serious symptoms belonging to the post-traumatic stress syndrome, including anxiety, impossibility to work, to sleep, to have a normal sexual activity. She did not see small children going back and wetting during nights after being weaned off.
And all this is happening years after Israel finally left the Gaza strip.
True, relatively few Israelis have been killed in this conflict in the south of Israel, but how many are still affected and live an almost impossible life ?!
I wish Rachel to finish her medical studies, to go back to her own country and bring with her only good memories.
Unfortunately, after she would leave, we will be left with the same cruel reality, part of our daily life. Because our “partners”, the Hamas Arabs, still not accept our existence in this part of the world.