Dear Dr. Edward Hill and Dr. Otmar Kloiber,
We, the undersigned (physicians), wish to express our support for WMA president Dr. Yoram Blachar and our strong opposition to any cynical attempt to intervene in the internal affairs of the World Medical Association in order to advance a political agenda.
As you know, neither Dr. Blachar nor the IMA in any way endorses or accepts acts of torture, degrading or inhuman treatment. The IMA Ethics Committee recently re-issued and re-publicized their guidelines forbidding the involvement of physicians in torture. In addition, they drafted a re-affirmation of the Declaration of Tokyo at the most recent WMA Council meeting, held in Tel-Aviv, Israel.
This is in addition to the efforts Dr. Blachar and the IMA have made on behalf of the Palestinian population, including attempts to cooperate with the Palestinian Medical Association, petitions to the Israeli Supreme Court on behalf of ill Palestinians, meetings with government and army officials, with human rights organizations, with the International Red Cross and with the WHO, in an effort to determine what can be done to improve the situation, creating a hotline which physicians could call in order to get ethical advice regarding morally questionable situations that might arise, and more.
As you are aware, during the recent war Dr. Blachar personally approached Israeli authorities to obtain security for all health personnel and to initiate the creation of a field hospital to provide medical help to the Palestinian population.
If an attempt had been made to present a more balanced picture, the above facts would have been cited, along with the fact that Israeli Physicians, IMA members, treat thousands of Palestinian patients, volunteer in various medical and humanitarian capacities with refugees and Palestinians, and work alongside their Palestinian colleagues on a daily basis. Were the same efforts expended on the part of the signatories to find ways to bridge our differences and help those suffering on both sides of the conflict, to promote peace instead of trying to destroy and expel, much more could be accomplished.
We would like to express appreciation for your unwavering support of Dr. Blachar and the IMA in the past and to urge you to remain steadfast in the face of political pressure from interested parties.
Sincerely,