Not too long ago, there appeared an Op-Ed in the Daily Nexus entitled “False Body Count Numbers Disguise Political Agenda.” The author of this piece, Mr. Gluschankoff, cited the inferiority of Palestinian medical care to justify the number of deaths incurred by the Israeli army during their 2008 massacre of Palestinians in Gaza. I am not going to bother explaining why such a statement is implicitly racist; rather, I will move on to explain why Palestinians in Gaza do not have access to proper medical services.
You see, Gaza has been subjected to a siege imposed on Gazans by both the former Egyptian government (thus, Israel’s staunch support for its now-ousted dictator) as well as by the Israeli government; both Egypt and Israel “share” (a characterization not at all appropriate given that the Palestinians are completely left out of the equation) borders with Gaza. From 2005 until now — as well as during Operation Cast Lead, which killed 1,400 Palestinians and injured around 5,000 — Gazans have been denied freedom of mobility to cross these borders. Medical equipment has also been barred from entering Gaza; in effect, infringing upon the right of Palestinians to maintain their hospitals and, thus, their health and livelihoods.
On Feb. 10 of this year, Israeli strikes destroyed a medical storage building as well as damaged a school in Gaza. This is just one instance of a consistent attempt on the part of the Israelis to hinder development and undermine the building of infrastructure in Palestine (Gaza included) to aid the well-being of those who are essentially living in an open-air prison facility. It is one of many instances that demonstrates the perpetuation of an environment where the needed resources to create self-sustainability and an economy on which they are able to thrive is denied to them. The Palestinians are unwanted, as their existence makes evident the nature of the Israeli state as a colonizing entity carrying out an ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people whose lands they have stolen.
As Laila el-Haddad puts it, “So long as those in power in Palestine are not willing collaborators in their own imprisonment, the consequences will be fierce: Institutions will be destroyed, development and prosperity will be blocked and the pretext will always be security.” To elaborate, Time magazine’s Tim McGirk reported that Israel was blocking medical aid from reaching Gaza and shed light on the case of Bassam al-Wahedi, who was in need of serious eye care. The equipment needed to conduct “complicated surgeries” was and continues to be barred from entering Gaza. Al-Wahedi was offered medical treatment by Israel if he agreed to work for the Israelis. Collaborate with us for two weeks, they told him, and we’ll get you the best Israeli doctor out there. If he refused to collaborate, he would be denied access. Al-Wahedi could not bring himself to collaborate with the Israeli state to aid his people’s oppression. He recounted that “his father, an ambulance driver, was clearing away wounded Palestinians after a battle when he was shot dead by an Israeli sniper.” This is yet another example as to why Palestinian medical services are “inferior” to those of their colonizer, the Israeli state.
The bombing of Palestinian hospitals by the Israeli Defense Force during Operation Cast Lead contributed to the lack of available medical care within Gaza; this should go without saying. Of course, all this contradicts the pretty portrait of the Israeli state painted by the various authors of the many pro-Israel pieces that have been published by the Nexus; there is an assumption within all these pieces that Palestinians are to be blamed for their suffering; that their suffering is somehow warranted by the fact that Israel is an ally of the U.S. and an example of “Western progress” and “civilization.” One of the founders of Zionist thought, Theodor Herzl, would have been proud. He, too, asserted that Israel would act as “a rampart of Europe against Asia, an outpost of civilization as opposed to barbarism.” It is telling to know that many supporters of Israel have followed the racist tradition of Zionism, as they use Eurocentric concepts of industrial “progress” and technological innovations to justify a massacre. God help us in a world where massacres are embraced as civil and ethnic cleansing is considered an act of progress.
There is nothing racist about my statement. Israeli hospitals are the most advanced and well known in the entire Middle East. Take a look for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCqJ948Td2Q&feature=player_embedded#at=103 AND Dr. Michael Weintraub, head of pediatric hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplants at Hadassah University Medical Center at Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem, told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that in the long term, “there is no doubt that it is better for medical services to be provided by Palestinian hospitals.” He added, however, that “it will take up to a decade to raise the level of Palestinian hospitals so they treat such patients… Read more »
Matthew,
a) the statement that Israeli hospitals are “advanced” is not racist. your statement that Palestinian medical services are inherently inept is.
b)please learn the difference between GAZA and the WEST BANK. PA does not EXIST in Gaza.
secondly, you missed the point of the article; the inferiority of services (in both Gaza and the West Bank) is created and not inherent.
While the statement you present in a) is racist, that statement is not presented in Matthew’s Op-Ed. His article simply noted the inferiority of care.
Apparently Wikipedia is wrong, it says the PA governs West Bank and Gaza. You should go edit the page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_National_Authority
The author of this piece states that it is *implicitly* racist; and she is correct in saying so.
What intelligent individual relies on Wikipedia for real & accurate information?
Oh, enough of that b-s. Get off the victim’s saddle and look around you. The Arab world is uprising against their dictators which had victimized their people for decades, but you choose to blame Israel for the fate of the Arab world, please!!!! I have studied, researched, and taught the Middle East conflict for over thirty years and lived in the Middle East also. Your article shows your lack of knowledge in the matter, and how out of touch you are with the History and reality of the Middle East. Before you jump into your next article or into a… Read more »
James Fraser wrote:
> The Arab world is uprising against their dictators which had victimized their people for decades, but you choose to blame Israel for the fate of the Arab world, please!!!! I have studied, researched, and taught the Middle East conflict for over thirty years and lived in the Middle East also.
James,
Since you are so informed about the Middle East, surely you know that one of the foremost of these dictators, Hosni Mubarek, was a close ally of Israel, and that Israel consulted with Mubarek’s government before launching Operation Cast Lead?
Right?
Eric dances with lies and writes, “Hosni Mubarek, was a close ally of Israel…” At best Mubarak was a cold and distant ally of Israel. It was forced on him by Egypt’s pathetic defeat in the Six Day War. Egypt never followed the terms of that peace treaty in that they ignored all the provisions regarding “respecting” Israel. Mubarak never stepped foot in Israel and this was against the terms of the treaty in which respectful and friendly relations were expected, and Egypt’s media and schools {sic} pumped out anti-Semetic drivel with a vengenace and this was also against the… Read more »
Arafat,
Would it make any difference that I’m Jewish? Spent my childhood summer vacations in Zionist camps in upstate New York, singing the Hatikva each morning in front of the Israeli flag, dancing to the Hava Nagila, and playing good ol’ Arab vs. Jew. war games.
As Greg Bateson suggests a few posts up, Zionist ideologues can be a fairly nasty lot.
Eric,
It makes zero difference as far as I am concerned. Your misleading claim about Mubarak is still misleading regardless of what religion you happen to be.
In fact, you remind me of Norm Finkelstein who is Jewish in name only. No doubt you take that as a compliment even though the intention was anything but.
Arafat,
Like I said about Zionist ideologues..
Greg Bateson,
Like I said about Muslim apologists.
The last word.
Let’s not say good-bye with ill feelings. I’ve always found a little humour helps. Click on the following Bill Maher video to help brighten up your day.
Dressed in black:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIpdC0o3mdM
“The Arab world is uprising against their dictators which had victimized their people for decades, but you choose to blame Israel for the fate of the Arab world, please!!!!” Uhhh, did you not read what Aljawad wrote? She’s talking about the relations between Palestine (which include Gaza) and Israel specifically, and how Israeli policies contribute to Palestine’s lack of medical care. For a person who supposedly studied the Middle East for forty years, it’s funny how you think Gaza represents the whole Arab world and assumes relations between Israel and Palestine represents Israel vs. the Arab world. She’s not denying… Read more »
http://imgur.com/2MGa3
Noor has the integrity to publish her views under her own name. You, Anonymous, are what the internets call “a troll.” Instead of publishing your opinions in a way that contributes to polite intellectual discourse, your cartoon does nothing more than give expression to an unpleasant aspect of your own character.
No reply necessary.
It was great that you have enough time on your hands to reply to something that you think is irrelevant. Maybe if you’d read a book once in a while, you would have a little sense of humor. One can only hope…
It’s interesting that someone majoring in Feminist Studies is so blindly Pro-Palestine when they way that women are treated there is wrong by anyone’s standards.
and I’m sure a frat boy can speak on the wondrous treatment of women, yes?
lol.
Frat boy or not, he does make a point. The middle east,other than Israel, in general treats women like 2nd class citizens.
Hmm…I wonder which state on the continent of America supported extreme Muslim fundamentalists, and continue to ever since the Cold War. Even if the leaders of that state knew that those extreme fundamentalists pour acid on women’s face as “punishment,” but continue to fund them anyways. And after the Cold War, that same state turn around and use sentiment of “WE MUST SAVE ARAB WOMEN!!” justify its “war on terror” and bomb the shit out of Afghanistan. Hmmm, which state is that???
ND,
Just a little guidance…America is not a continent. Just in case you were also confused about Saudi Arabia it is also not a continent. It’s just a hell-hole of Islamic cruelty. A country that happens to have a big black rock that Muslims like trhowing stones at.
hmm, you might want to retract that statement. We are on the North American Continent, of which the United States of America is just another “State”.
See for example Mexico & Canada.
Reality check: patriarchy is worldwide, manifests itself worldwide, and, thus, women WORLDWIDE are 2nd class citizens. The struggle against patriarchy is a struggle for all women to take up, irrespective of regional/geographical location.
Reality check: Islam is littered with teachings that delegate women as second class people.
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/010-women-worth-less.htm
I dont recall other religions being particularly pro-women until very recently. I also dont recall other countries being pro-women until very recently. Perhaps some areas still have to catch up, but is it possible that cultural norms and social institutions might play a big role in keeping attitudes as they are now?
Josh,
Every picture tells a story, don’t it:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/03/some-1500-years-ago-it-was-decided-for-an-individuals-personal-reasons-that-women-should-have-purdah.html
Also, it’s absolutely horrendous that you would respond to this article with an Israel-treats-women-fairly apologist statement; are Palestinian women not human and are they not subject to Israeli oppression in the form of active colonization? If you cannot connect the dots yourself, allow me to do so for you: Palestinians are under occupation. Both men and women make up the Palestinian population. Both Palestinian men and women are under occupation. Occupation is oppressive. Both Palestinian men and women are oppressed (due to occupation). Palestinian women are oppressed due to (Israeli) occupation. I think it’s safe to say that Israel treats… Read more »
Israeli’s do not kill their daughters if they fund out they’ve been raped. Accidental female victims in Israel’s self-defense are not the same thing. Israeli’s don’t kill their own women and children by using them as live shields for their military installations.
Honour killings do happen in the West Bank and Gaza but not that often. It’s more common in Jordan. Give the Hamas Islamists time and I’ll bet they catch up with Jordan pretty quickly.
As you requested, I read your article. Here is a piece from that same article from the “Recommendations to Palestine” section:
“To provide training in gender issues to police officers, prosecutors, judges and other officials in the criminal justice system to ensure that women are encouraged to report violence in the family, and receive appropriate care, medical attention and support; and to monitor the effectiveness of the training in effecting changes in the criminal justice system to protect the rights of women.”
No recommendations such as these in the Israeli section. I wonder why…
shakomako dances with lies…
Anyone with half a brain knows that Muslim women are treated like chattle throughout all Islamic nations and are treated like individuals with unique personalities in Israel. Hell, Muslim women can even go out for a dnace in Israel! In Saudi Arabia they would be stoned to death if they tried doing this.
Well feminists are always for the underdog, right? Wrong. They’re just stupid and illogical and more concerned about “appearing” to be politically correct than about what really makes sense.
If feminists really cared about women and women’s rights they’d be marching against Islam on a daily basis, for there is no other force in the world which treats women worse than Islam.
http://www.zamaanonline.com/images/afghan-women-in-burka.jpg
To the pro-Zionists on this comment board: I hate to break it to you, but your ramblings are reminiscent of what we’ve been hearing lately from Qaddafi, and for similar reasons: a stark realization that your time is soon coming to an end. To the others: What would be your feelings regarding the formation of a United Socialist States of the Middle East, uniting Arab workers with their class sisters and brothers in Israel of all religious and ethnic backgrounds? Would this be the true way to carry forward the spark that has been lit by the heroic Arabic peoples… Read more »
Heroic Arab people like these?
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/02/egyptian-armed-forces-chanting-allahu-akbar-storm-christian-monastery-with-tanks-open-fire-injuring.html
You might be the first Pro-Palestinian feminist who wasn’t stoned for voicing her opinions.
Zal,
Could you please provide a reference regarding ANY woman in Palestine/Israel being stoned for voicing her opinion, other than perhaps by Jewish Israeli settlers?
Perhaps my Google skills are lacking, but I couldn’t seem to find anything.
PS,
No doubt violence against women occurs in Palestine, just as it does in Israel and here in the United States.
But it’s pure chutzpah to imply that stoning is pervasive amongst Palestinians, and the kind of thing that mostly just contributes to the reputation of Zionist ideologues as being a rather nasty lot.
For your own sake Zal, you might think twice next time before clicking the Submit button.
Noor, you truly are a great mind and this article speaks many truths. I love ya.
“To exist is to resist.” Free Palestine!
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4033859,00.html
Israel allows $13.5 million into Gaza
Money from UNRWA bank account transferred into Strip just several hours before rocket attack on southern city of Beersheba
http://www.ted.com/talks/sam_harris_science_can_show_what_s_right.html
Interesting TED talk. Check it out.
And good job judging me cause I’m in a frat haha.
I think the solution to the Israeli Palestinian Conflict is pretty straightforward:
http://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000477
Yes, I suppose leaving Israel with no defensible boarders and letting Iran and Syria finish what Hitler started would be a solution. A final solution at that. Good thinking Joshua.
I’d have to verify with you here. Which is not something I normally do! I get pleasure from reading a put up that will make folks think. Additionally, thanks for allowing me to comment!