Palestinian Medical and Health Institutions Call for Imposing Measures against the Israel Medical Association

February 2007

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Whereas the Israel Medical Association’s (IMA) medical ethics record on torture has been well documented, and the institution has never denounced or seriously confronted the Israeli government on its shameless use of torture;

Whereas 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);

Whereas the IMA is charged with being the executive arm of the Israeli establishment working to support political imperatives rather than serving universal medical ethics;

Whereas the IMA violates it own Physicians’ Code of Ethics, which stipulates that the goal of the IMA is to: “… maintain a suitable professional and ethical level in the medical profession”;

Whereas 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 and Lebanon; the killing, harassment and wounding of Palestinian and Lebanese health professionals on duty; and the destruction of the Palestinian and Lebanese health systems -- in the OPT as a result of destruction of the infrastructure, the apartheid Wall, and in Lebanon as a result of the massive destruction of infrastructure, roads, bridges and petrol outlets-- all systematic violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention;

Given that all forms of international intervention have failed to force Israel to comply with international law or to end its repression of Palestinians and the unjust war in Lebanon;

Given that direct appeals to the IMA have been unavailing, including those from both local and international health and human rights organisations over many years, and despite a mass of incriminating documentation;

Given that the World Medical Association, responsible for monitoring medical ethics worldwide, and which has as its current Chair of Council the IMA president, has repeatedly declined to take action as it is mandated to do;

Given that people of conscience in the international community of medical and health professionals and workers shoulder the moral responsibility to fight injustice, as exemplified in their struggle to abolish apartheid in South Africa through various forms of boycott and sanctions;

In the spirit of international solidarity, moral consistency and resistance to injustice and oppression,


We, the undersigned, Palestinian Medical and Health institutions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, call on world medical and health institutions to:

1. Immediately end cooperation with, and refrain from participation in, any form of collaboration or joint activities with the IMA.
2. Advocate for the condemnation of the IMA.
3. Support Palestinian medical and health institutions directly without requiring them to partner with Israeli counterparts as a condition for such support.


The undersigned:

1. The Medical Association -Jerusalem (Palestinian Physician’s Union).
2. Maqassed Hospital - Jerusalem
3. Red Crescent Society –Gaza
4. The Gaza Community Mental Health Program
5. Arab Women’s Union Hospital – Nablus
6. Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees – West Bank and Gaza (Palestinian Medical Relief Society)
7. Health Work Committees
8. Union of Health Work Committees - Gaza
9. Union of Health Care Committees
10. The National Society for Rehabilitation – Gaza
11. Near East Council of Churches Committee for Refugees - Gaza
12. Union of Agricultural Work Committees
13. Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for the Victims of Torture (TRC)
14. Patients Friends Society -Jenin
15. Union of Palestinian Handicapped
16. Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association
17. Health Policy Forum
18. Project Loving Care-Jerusalem
19. Palestinian National Institute for NGO’s