Only Israelis themselves could put a negative spin on the fact that Israel treats Gazans in Israel, while their own governments let them die for propaganda purposes. But at least they acknowledge that Israel does indeed treat them! Many on the left deny even this basic fact.
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s Shin Beth internal security service has increased its interrogations of people seeking to leave Hamas-run Gaza for medical treatment, a rights group said in a report on Monday.
Data collected by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel “indicates a rise in the number of Palestinian patients interrogated and forced to provide information as a precondition to exit Gaza for medical care,” it said.
“Between January 2008 and March 2009, at least 438 patients have been summoned for… interrogations… as a precondition for the review of their applications for an exit permit for the purpose of accessing medical treatment outside of the strip,” it said.
Whereas in January 2008, 1.45 percent of people who had submitted applications to Israeli authorities to leave Gaza were questioned, that number rose to 17 percent in January 2009, the group said.
It said the Shin Beth had interrogated minors, photographed patients against their will; harassed, cursed and intimidated patients during questioning; and returned to Gaza patients who did not cooperate.
People seeking to leave Gaza for medical treatment find themselves “between a rock and a hard place” as they also face pressure from the Hamas rulers of Gaza, the group said.
Hamas has set up a checkpoint on the Gaza side of Erez and has “been preventing individuals from reaching the Erez crossing for… interrogations,” it said.
“In some cases, patients report threats leveled at them that if they proceed to interrogations they will be harmed,” it said.
(full article here)
And in case you happen to forget just how noble the Israelis are for letting in ANY sick in for treatment, let this refresh your memory:
Wafa Samir Ibrahim al-Biss is a 21 year old Palestinian woman, who lives in the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza strip.
In January 2005 she suffered burns in a cooking accident in her home. She was admitted for treatment to the Soroka hospital in the Israeli town of Beer Sheva.
She became an outpatient and was issued by the Israeli authorities with a special pass entitling her to cross into Israel to receive medical treatment.
On 21 June 2005 she was arrested at the Erez crossing point, on her way out of Gaza and to Soroka, wearing 10 kgs of explosives in her underwear. On Israeli TV she admitted that she had planned to explode the bomb in the hospital where she was being treated. She stated that she had been recruited by the Fatah Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, and added that she had wanted to target as many children as possible (BBC worldwide website, 21 June 2005; Jerusalem Post 22 June; Israeli press statements, various).
The following ‘open letter’ was published on 24 June 2005 in the Jerusalem Post, responding to this attempted attack. The letter is by Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish who is an obstetrician and gynaecologist from the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza strip, who works at Soroka hospital.
(read the rest here)
Tags: gaza, Human rights, israel
