Introduction by Croakey: In the face of expanding conflict in the Middle East, medical professionals are being urged to “speak forcefully” against the devastation being inflicted upon Gaza, West Bank and now southern Lebanon.
Dr Stephen Parnis, Emergency Physician in Naarm/Melbourne and former Vice President of the Australian Medical Association, says it is “right and proper” for doctors and other medical professionals, who have significant power, to demand a ceasefire.
Below, Parnis reflects on the past year.
Stephen Parnis writes:
Nearly a year has passed since the world was shocked by the atrocities perpetrated against young Israelis, at the hands of Hamas. Twelve hundred murdered, thousands more maimed, hundreds taken hostage.
Australians have been deeply affected by the brutality that escalated in Israel that day, and subsequently in Palestine. In Gaza, we have now seen more than 41,000 deaths, and two million people displaced.
Divisions have occurred in our multicultural community – lifelong friendships have dissolved in acrimony, old wounds created in the injustices of generations past have reopened, and hostility has played out in street demonstrations, the performing arts, within professions and the corporate world, and very much within our federal politics.
Antisemitism and Islamophobia have reared their ugly heads, and the moral injury experienced by so many plays out on a daily basis.
Why does a conflict so far away have such an impact on us in Australia?
Our nation has long benefitted from the presence of vibrant Palestinian and Jewish communities. Among the Australians outside of these groups, there are millions who are distressed by the suffering and violence in a land that is important to many of us.
Modern day communications accentuate the speed with which news crosses the globe, and with every smartphone camera, imagery of the suffering and barbarism is almost inescapable. Though it once acted as a buffer zone, our distance from conflict no longer acts to dampen its impact.
This is the land of Abraham and the Western Wall, of Jesus and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, of Mohammed and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is special, indeed sacred, to many, and it is bleeding.
We cannot help but be moved by compassion and anger at the violence and death of tens of thousands of innocent victims. It could be asserted that the long conflict in Israel and Palestine is the most polarising on the planet and has become even more so over the last year.
It is almost a reflex for anyone who speaks publicly on the on the matter to be personally attacked, to be accused of being a puppet for one side or the other. Humanitarian organisations are not spared from the vilification, a dangerous precedent, if ever there was one.
Like so many issues these days, it is both essential and difficult to sift the truth from lies.
In this conflict, even the question of innocence or guilt of children is contested.
The children of Gaza have suffered malnutrition, infectious disease, severe physical and mental trauma. They have suffered the loss of their families, and more than 11,000 have been killed.
The dehumanisation of the other; the refusal to acknowledge the basic rights of a people to life and peace – this is anathema to most of us.
Advocates
Why should doctors hold opinions about this conflict?
I often hear variations of the “stay in your lane” argument, and accusations that “if you knew more, you would think differently”.
More ominously, I have seen the personal attacks, the financial and social persecution of those whose careful assessments have led them to speak out for the reduction of harm and violence in Israel and Palestine.
The medical profession exercises significant power in the care of vulnerable people and populations. We are often their only advocates. We seek to adhere to a robust set of ethics to discharge those responsibilities wisely and justly, and use our skills in critical appraisal to determine what is credible, and to call out lies and propaganda.
We have an important role to play in advocating for harm reduction.
I honour my colleagues who have sought to ease the suffering of the victims of this war, on all sides. Their example is principled, and often heroic, when they place themselves at personal risk to care for others.
Hundreds of aid workers have been killed, and many of those who have returned from the conflict zones are traumatised by their experience. They have earned our care and respect, and they certainly do not deserve to be ridiculed or vilified.
It is right and proper that we speak forcefully against the unprecedented levels of carnage being inflicted upon Gaza, extending into the West Bank and now southern Lebanon.
It is also right and proper that we should call for the closure of the weapons pipelines which lead to such widespread destruction, and demand an immediate ceasefire followed by a rapid, dramatic increase in humanitarian aid to counter the famine, disease and homelessness that is likely causing more death than the bombs and bullets.
I reject the suggestion that those of us demanding a ceasefire are politically naïve.
No credible observer can honestly suggest that any Israeli is safer or more secure as a result of the destruction of Gaza and the displacement of its citizens. Nor are the prospects of the safe return of the remaining hostages any better when the Israeli Government defies its allies and most of the world community in rejecting a ceasefire.
If we seek the health and wellbeing of all who call Israel and Palestine home, we are obliged to press for the Two State Solution.
The fact that we have seen no progress since the Oslo Accords can lead to despair, but many of us remember when Northern Ireland was a war zone. It has become an example of how peace can be planted and nurtured, even after centuries of violence and distrust.
At this time of turbulence and despair, let us remember ALL who have died in this conflict, not just some of them. Let us focus on the millions who are suffering, not just the ones we might identify with. Let us seek common ground with those whose views are different, and resist the urge to descend into personal attacks.
I conclude with the words of Mahatma Gandhi, a man who gave his life for the cause of peace:
What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?”
See Croakey’s archives on conflict and health
