[WCUSP] Physicians for Human Rights-Israel Appeal 31.10.2007 Erez Crossing: What the Eye Doesnt See... Cases of Life or Death

[yvonne simmons]

Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 12:56:44 +0100
> Subject: [womeninblack] Fw: Physicians for Human
> Rights-Israel Appeal
> 	31.10.2007 Erez Crossing: What the Eye Doesnt
> See... Cases of
> 	Life or Death
> 
> ---- Oorspronkelijk bericht -----
> Van: Paula Abrams-Hourani
> [mailto:paula.abrams at chello.at]
> What the Eye Doesnt See... Cases of Life or Death
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Elana Wesley
> 
> This is more than just a disregard for human life. 
> It is a persistent 
> policy with intent to cause further complications
> including death.  There 
> needs to be a red line somewhere - an international
> cry for stopping this 
> intolerable, inhumane attitude holding sway.
> 
> 
> 
> Barely two weeks since extensive media attention
> successfully compelled 
> Israel to allow access to lifesaving care for
> patients through Erez 
> Crossing, Israeli policies at the Crossing lead to a
> repetition of a similar 
> crisis:
> -     Sixteen patients in life-endangering condition
> stranded in Gaza 
> without proper care due to "security prohibitions."
> -     Permit-bearing cancer patient detained a full
> day at Erez Crossing and 
> ordered to return
> -     Two permit-bearing patients die within one
> week at Erez Crossing
> -     Erez Crossing closed again since 28.10.2007
> 
> Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-Israel)
> referred urgent letters 
> yesterday and today to Israeli policy-makers
> reiterating its demand that 
> Erez Crossing be immediately opened to patients
> needing care unavailable in 
> Gaza.
> 
> PHR-Israel requested that the Israeli army Attorney
> General and the Legal 
> Counsel to the Israeli Government immediately open
> an investigation into 
> individual cases in which patients in need of
> lifesaving care were denied 
> passage, endangering their lives and in at least two
> cases leading to death.
> 
> PHR-Israel also demanded that an external
> independent committee be appointed 
> to examine both the individual violations recorded
> and the policy of 
> authorities at Erez Crossing, including that of the
> Israeli secret service, 
> GSS (Shabak).
> 
> 1. Sixteen patients in life-endangering condition
> stranded in Gaza without 
> proper care due to "security prohibitions."
> 
> Sixteen patients in urgent life-endangering
> conditions have been refused 
> entry for "security" reasons over the past few days.
> These include: 6 cases 
> of heart disease, 5 cancer cases, 1 case haemophilia
> with complications in 
> pregnancy, 1 case secondary haemophilia with
> suspicion of cancer, one case 
> obstruction hepatitis, 1 case acute kidney disease
> and 1 case ulcerative 
> colitis with rapid weight loss.
> 
> 2. Permit-bearing patient detained a full day at
> Erez Crossing and ordered 
> to return
> One of the stranded patients, M.A-J, a cancer
> patient suffering from 
> osteosarcoma, was in our previous appeal after his
> request to access care 
> had been refused twice. Following extensive pressure
> and media coverage, he 
> received a permit to exit Gaza. However, each of the
> three relatives he 
> proposed as escorts were refused permits. As a
> result, PHR-Israel informed 
> the authorities at the Crossing that he would exit
> Erez alone.
> 
> On 28.10, M arrived at the Crossing at 6.30am. He
> was detained there all 
> day. At 5.30pm, after 11 hours, the commanding
> officer at the Crossing 
> ordered him to return to Gaza, because of a "new
> regulation" according to 
> which patients are not allowed to enter Israel on
> their own, but must be 
> with a relative.
> 
> The truth of this claim is doubtful, since other
> patients crossed Erez that 
> day alone (e.g., Muhamad Taha, whose case is
> reported below). Moreover, 
> reporting a new regulation at the last minute after
> such extensive delays 
> begs the question whether it wasn't a pretext for
> refusal of his passage 
> despite his permit.
> 
> 3. Two permit-bearing patients die within one week
> at Erez Crossing
> On 21.10 Nimr Shuhaiber, 77 years old, was admitted
> to Shifaa' hospital in 
> Gaza after a suffering a heart attack. On 22.10 he
> received a permit to exit 
> Gaza via the Erez Crossing. However, when the
> ambulance carrying him neared 
> the checkpoint, Israeli soldiers fired on it and
> they were obliged to return 
> to Gaza. The next day, 23.10, at 9.30am, Nimr tried
> again to reach the 
> Crossing, following renewed coordination. The
> ambulance was delayed for 
> three hours before reaching the Israeli side of the
> crossing. Because of the 
> delay, the ambulance had to go back to the hospital
> in Gaza for extra 
> oxygen, while Nimr waited at the Crossing. The
> ambulance was then delayed 
> for a further two hours, during which time Nimr was
> left on the ground in 
> the sun. Access was then denied and the soldiers
> ordered Nimr back to the 
> hospital in Gaza. He died shortly after.
> 
> Mahmoud Taha, 23 years old, was diagnosed with
> cancer of the intestines two 
> months ago. He was treated at Nasser hospital in
> Khan Yunis and then 
> transferred to the European Hospital in Gaza. He was
> then referred to Tel 
> Hashomer hospital in Israel. Mahmoud and his father
> received exit permits 
> and arrived at the Crossing on 18.10 by ambulance.
> At the Crossing, 
> Mahmoud's father, 56, was taken in for
> interrogation. After Mahmoud had 
> waited outside for more than two hours he was told
> to return to Gaza. His 
> father was arrested. His whereabouts are unknown.
> 
> On 24.10, after Mahmoud received a new permit
> "pending interrogation", 
> PHR-Israel intervened, asking that his passage to
> medical care be 
> immediately ensured, and that the arrest be
> investigated.
> 
> On 28.10 Mahmoud finally reached the Crossing. He
> was detained there for 
> eight hours before being allowed to cross. However,
> the Emergency Room at 
> Tel Hashomer hospital never received him: he died on
> the way.
> 
> 4. Erez Crossing closed again since 28.10.2007
> This week the Palestinian Coordinator of permits for
> the Palestinian 
> Authority was informed by the Israeli authorities
> that Erez Crossing would 
> be closed between the 28th of October and the 6th of
> November at least, and 
> he was ordered to postpone all referrals to after
> that date. All but the 
> most urgent cases are to be denied.
> 
> PHR-Israel calls once again upon its supporters in
> Israel and overseas to do 
> all within their power to join its call for medical
> ethics, against the 
> isolation of the Gaza Strip, and against the
> violation of the right to 
> health under occupation.
> 
> PHR-Israel calls upon supporters to publicize the
> situation of patients in 
> Gaza, to urge Israeli and international
> policy-makers to ensure medical care 
> for the sixteen patients mentioned above, and for
> all other patients needing 
> care unavailable in Gaza, and to urge the Israel
> Medical Association to 
> publicly voice a clear position against these
> violations and for medical 
> ethics and human rights.
> 
> Write to:
> IMA Chair Dr. Yoram Blachar blachar at ima.org.il
> <<mailto:blachar at ima.org.il>>
> Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter
> adichter at knesset.gov.il 
> <<mailto:adichter at knesset.gov.il>>
> Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai
> matanv at knesset.gov.il 
> <<mailto:matanv at knesset.gov.il>>
> Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni zlivni at knesset.gov.il 
> <<mailto:zlivni at knesset.gov.il>>
> Health Minister Yaacov Ben Yizri,
> <<mailto:ybenyizri at knesset.gov.il>>
> 
> For further details please contact Miri Weingarten,
> miri at phr.org.il 
> <<mailto:miri at phr.org.il>> Telephone 00 972 546
> 995199 or Ran Yaron 
> ranyaron at phr.org.il <<mailto:ranyaron at phr.org.il>>,
> Telephone 00 
> 972547577696
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com