Archive post. Shared by SAMNET on 20 November 2024, in support of a campaign run by Healthcare Workers for Palestine. The campaign relates to the 2024 Future of Health summit and is no longer live. Published here as part of SAMNET’s advocacy archive. The letter reproduced below is HCW4P’s wording, not SAMNET’s.
Open to everyone — not only healthcare workers. One minute of your day.
Healthcare Workers for Palestine (HCW4P) created a quick email campaign to the CEO of Discovery, objecting to Discovery’s involvement in the Future of Health summit held in Cape Town.
The objection rests on the membership of the Israeli Ministry of Health in that organisation, the participation of Israeli institutions and speakers, and the presence of organisations and individuals who have supported, or failed to condemn, the killing, targeting and detention of Palestinian healthcare workers and the deprivation of healthcare in Gaza.
The mechanism was simple: open the link, open it in your email app, add your name, and send. Senders were free to amend the wording, and SAMNET asked only that people refrain from abuse or prejudice of any kind. SAMNET asked to be copied on info@samnet.co.za.
The campaign letter (HCW4P’s wording)
I am deeply disturbed by the involvement of Discovery in the Future of Health (FOH) summit being held in Cape Town. FOH prominently features the Israeli Ministry of Health and several Israeli institutions as member organisations. The current event also lists numerous Israeli speakers.
This event takes place as Israel continues a year-long genocide-in-progress in Gaza, with attacks extending to the occupied West Bank, Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East. Over 40 000 people have been killed in Gaza, with intentional and recurring attacks by the Israeli military on healthcare workers, ambulances and hospitals in violation of international humanitarian law. Israel faces charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice in a case brought by the South African government, a charge echoed by many humanitarian organisations and advocacy groups. Israel also faces widespread allegations of the crime of apartheid, including by many South African anti-apartheid activists and in a recent report delivered by United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
It is unthinkable that Discovery, a prominent South African firm, can participate in an organisation that includes the Israeli Ministry of Health, an arm of the Israeli government, at a time like this. The Future of Health cannot be planned in collaboration with an Israeli health ministry which is complicit in the bombing of hospitals, the targeting of ambulances and the killing and torturing of healthcare workers. Such participation serves only to normalise apartheid and whitewash genocide.
It is morally and ethically unacceptable that Discovery remains involved in FOH at this time and I ask that Discovery call for the suspension of the Israeli Ministry of Health from FOH until Israel complies with international law. Alternatively, Discovery should exercise its conscience and withdraw from FOH.
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Shared by the South African Muslim Network (SAMNET) in the interest of freedom, justice, healthcare, safety and human rights for the people of Gaza, Palestine and Lebanon.