In the last few years an increasing number of articles have appeared in The British Medical Journal and the Lancet that have examined the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These articles have been uniformly biased against Israel and provide a skewed view of the conflict. Recently, two articles appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) examining the health crisis in Gaza[1], [2].
These articles failed to mention the root-cause of the Gaza conflict and the role of Hamas in precipitating the crisis. Specifically, neither article mentioned that the Cast Lead operation was launched after years of Hamas’ unprovoked firing of thousands of rockets into civilian areas in Israel. Neither article mentioned that the Hamas platform calls for the violent destruction of Israel. Neither article mentioned that Hamas used densely populated areas, ambulances, hospitals, etc, to launch its attacks on Israeli cities and how its actions precipitated the plight in Gaza. In reaction to these articles the CMAJ received over 300 letters outlining the biases in the original articles, including one signed or endorsed by over 65 prominent Canadian physicians and scientists. While the British Journals have indicated their refusal to be swayed by letters or emails protesting their biased stance, the editors of the CMAJ appear more responsive to the concerns of their Canadian members. In response to the two articles in the CMAJ, the editor published a rebuttal in which he indicated he did not intend the CMAJ to take a political position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and conceded how the publication of these articles could be construed as biased. In addition, in a separate conversation, the editor, expressed a desire to focus on improving the scientific quality of the CMAJ rather than have it drawn into the quagmire of Middle East politics.
Lest, one think that using the medical literature to foster and incite hatred is a new phenomenon, in April 1938, the prestigious British journal Nature invited the German Nobel-prize winning physicist, Johannes Stark, to publish an article “The Pragmatic and Dogmatic Spirit in Physics”. In this paper Stark divided the world of Physics into Dogmatic and Pragmatic fractions. According to Stark, Jewish scientists (including Einstein) dominate the undesired dogmatic spirit while the desired pragmatic fraction is represented mostly by Aryans scientists. In the accompanying News and Views, it was urged to “purge science of the Jewish Spirit”. Therefore, while the rise of anti-Israel campaigns in academic circles appears new, we need only look back in history to understand the potential ramifications of these words.
[1] Mason C. Gaza’s healthcare system crippled before – and after. CMAJ 2009;180:608-9. http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/180/6/608
[2] Dumont F. Dispatch from the medical front: on the ground in the Gaza Strip. CMAJ 2009;180:610. http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/180/6/610
