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South African medical body cuts ties with Israeli Medical Association
Jewish medics: “To our knowledge, SAMA has not issued any call for the medical treatment or release of hostages held by Hamas, nor has it criticised the use of hospitals in Gaza for military purposes"
Jewish medics in South Africa have reacted with anger and “deep concern” over moves by SAMA, the country’s umbrella medical association, to cut ties with the Israeli Medical Association.
On Saturday (4 October) SAMA issued a statement announcing the “immediate suspension of all professional and bilateral relations” with its Israeli counterpart, and called for the Israeli body’s suspension from the World Medical Association.
SAMA claimed that its decision was taken following “extensive consultations”, but the South African Association of Jewish Mental Health and Allied Practitioners (SAJMAP) has asked for clarification of this claim.
In particular, the Jewish medics want to know who was consulted on the issue, asking: “Did SAMA explicitly seek the views of members who support ongoing collaboration with Israeli clinicians, including Jewish members and others who regard boycotts as unethical and counter-therapeutic?”
In their rebuttal of the SAMA move, the Jewish medics say that “discussion about Israel within South African medical circles has unfortunately become increasingly polarised and harmfully exclusionary, with selective publication practices and limited opportunities for balanced response and robust debate. SAMA has been directly implicated in this”.
They add that “to our knowledge, SAMA has not issued any call for the medical treatment or release of hostages held by Hamas, nor has it criticised the use of hospitals in Gaza for military purposes. It has long been established that Hamas uses hospitals as terror bases, making these hospitals legitimate military targets under international law. Its silence on these matters raises serious concerns, particularly as its focus on Israel has become blatantly discriminatory. SAMA’s silence is insensitive to the legitimate concerns of both Jewish and non-Jewish healthcare professionals who feel alienated in such an environment”.
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