Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News, 2014-10-10

COSATU and its health sector affiliates NEHAWU (National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union), DENOSA (Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa) and the SA Medical Association (SAMA) has joined the call for the expulsion of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) from the World Medical Association (WMA).

“The IMA’s 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,” said Patrick Craven the National Spokesperson of COSATU in a statement.

“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 — in the OPT as a result of destruction of the infrastructure, the apartheid Wall— all systematic violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

NEHAWU and DENOSA together with other organizations will be holding a protest outside the World Medical Association (WMA) on Friday the 10th of October in Durban at 11h00 at the International Convention Centre (Bram Fisher Road).

The protest action will be supported by BDS South Africa, Islamic Medical Association, KZN Palestine Solidarity Forum, and COSATU affiliates.

“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.
 
“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,” said Craven

 
(Twitter: @Faizie143)