Success:

Following the correspondence with NGO Monitor, Dr. John Cohn, and others, the editors of Diabetes Voice have removed the highly propagandistic abstract of a forthcoming paper allegedly dealing with diabetes in Gaza. The revised version of the abstract can be found at http://www.diabetesvoice.org/search/?a=278 The full paper, which is written by the head of the Greek section of the NGO known as Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), has yet to be released, so stay tuned.

Thanks to all who raised their electronic voices,

Gerald Steinberg
Editor, NGO Monitor

Original reply:

Philip Home, Editor-in-Chief,
Tim Nolan, Editor, and
Ms. Catherine Regniers, Managing Editor,
“Diabetes Voice”
International Diabetes Federation
Rue Emile De Mot 19
B-1000 Brussels
Belgium
Tel +32-2-538 55 11
Fax +32-2-538 51 14
diabetesvoice@idf.org
http://www.idf.org
Editors,
My colleagues and I were very surprised to see the abstract on your website (http://www.diabetesvoice.org/search/?a=278 ) entitled “Poverty, stress and unmet needs: life with diabetes in the Gaza strip”. This short abstract (attached below) consists of a blatantly political attack that has little or nothing to do with diabetes. The one-sided and highly distorted version of history that is presented is based on a distorted Palestinian version of events and vocabulary, and immorally ignores the brutality of Palestinian terrorism. It is also entirely inconsistent with the goals proclaimed by Diabetes Voice, the International Diabetes Federation, and Mdecins Sans Frontires (see www.ngo-monitor.org).

We therefore urge you to consider delaying publication of the article in full until an impartial and professional review board can consider its merit and the implications of publication on the credibility of this publication and of the International Diabetes Federation. In other cases, such as the Journal of Public Health (Royal Institure of Public Health, UK), the exploitation of medial publications for political propaganda has resulted in the appointment of an independent review board.

Prof. Gerald M. Steinberg
Editor, www.ngo-monitor.org and
Director, Program on Conflict Management and Negotiation
Political Studies, Bar Ilan University
Ramat Gan, Israel
Tel: 972-3-5318043, Fax: 972-3-5354389; steing@mail.biu.ac.il
http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~steing/index.shtml

cc: Multi-disciplinary International Advisory Group
Patricia Fokumlah, Cameroon
Attila Jzsef, Hungary
Rob James, Canada
Pablo Aschner, Colombia
Viswanathan Mohan, India
Juliana Chan, Hong Kong SAR, PRC
Production Manager: Kristina Hawthorne (Kirchheim), Germany
Publisher: Manuel Ickrath (Kirchheim), Germany

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”Poverty, stress and unmet needs: life with diabetes in the Gaza strip”
“Diabetes Voice”
Panagiotis Tsapogas
Jun 2004

The year 2003 marked the 55th anniversary of the Nakba (cataclysm) of the Palestinian people. In 1948, according to the United Nations Conciliation Commission, 762 000 Palestinians were evicted from their cities and villages, hundreds of which were razed to the ground. What remains of the Palestinian people’s land is now split between the West Bank of the river Jordan and Qita Ghazzah (Gaza Strip), and remains occupied by Israeli military forces and settlers. In 2003, the second uprising, or Al-Aqsa Intifada against this occupation entered its third year. Panagiotis Tsapogas, Medical Co-ordinator of the Greek section of Mdecins Sans Frontires (Doctors Without Borders) in Gaza, 2002-2003, reports on the difficulties faced by Palestinian people with diabetes in Gaza, and makes a call for the provision of improved diabetes care in the region.