Cosatu wants Israel expelled from WMA

OWN CORRESPONDENT

Cosatu is an alliance partner in South Africa’s ANC-led government.

In a media release dated October 7, Cosatu pointed out that it was “one of the first trade unions in the world that endorsed the international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel campaign.

“In 2005, with Israel’s occupation, human rights abuses, violations of international law and illegal Israeli settlement activity increasing, Palestinians (inspired by the successful boycott and isolation of apartheid South Africa) called on the international community to support a non-violent campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel and its companies until Israel complies with international law and respects human rights.

“The Palestinian-led and internationally-backed BDS campaign is a practical, non-violent, goal-orientated, focused and strategic campaign to hold the State of Israel accountable to international law and human rights.

“The BDS campaign is also increasingly supported by (progressive) Israelis. The international isolation of Israel, it is hoped, will lead to the necessary conditions for a just peace to be negotiated – similar to what occurred in South Africa and brought about a democratic country for all our people.”

Nehawu and Denosa, together with other organisations, held a protest outside the World Medical Association (WMA) on Friday October 10, at Durban’s International Convention Centre. The protest was supported by the Islamic Medical Association, KZN Palestine Solidarity Forum, BDS South Africa and Cosatu affiliates.

Giving some background, Cosatu says: “Steve Biko was an anti-apartheid activist who died in police custody as a result of torture. The failures of the (white) medical community in South Africa at that time finally led to a split in the World Medical Association.

“The failure of the Medical Association of South Africa and the WMA to clearly stand up for human rights at that time, was certainly one of the serious mistakes of these organisations. Steve Biko’s death was one of the critical events that finally led to the isolation of the apartheid regime.

“Whereas the IMA’s medical ethics record on torture has been well documented, the institution has never denounced or seriously confronted the Israeli government on its shameless use of torture. The IMA has shown blatant disregard for the ethical issue of medical neutrality, with the IMA unconditionally defending the violations of medical neutrality by the Israeli army in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The IMA has either contributed directly to maintaining, defending, or justifying oppression and wars, or has stood silently in the face of civilian deaths in the OPT, the killing, harassment and wounding of Palestinian health professionals on duty, and the destruction of the Palestinian health systems…”

Cosatu says all forms of international intervention have failed to force Israel to comply with international law or to end its repression of Palestinians. Direct appeals to the IMA have been unavailing, including those from both local and international health and human rights organisations over many years, “despite a mass of incriminating documentation”.

“In the spirit of international solidarity, moral consistency and resistance to injustice and oppression, we call on the World Medical Association to immediately expel the Israeli Medical Association from the WMA unless the IMA unequivocally condemns, distances and actively counter’s Israel’s torture, occupation and apartheid policies.

“In the 1980s, following the torture and death of Steve Biko, the WMA ignored appeals by the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid and others to expel the Medical Association of South Africa (MASA) from the WMA. The WMA now has the chance to be on the right side of history by expelling the IMA from the WMA.

“Given the above there is a call for the expulsion of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) from the World Medical Association (WMA) until the IMA unequivocally condemns, distances and actively counter’s Israel’s torture, occupation and apartheid policies.”