Noam Chomsky:
There are some things that are going on that really shock me. I learned recently from Ruchama Marton, a wonderful woman who is the head of the Israel Physicians for Human Rights organization, and you probably know this, that in Israeli hospitals, in maternity wards, Palestinian women citizens have to go to different wards than the Jewish women…. Things like that go on all the time.
The statement appears in Chomsky’s new book On Palestine, written with Ilan Pappe and Frank Barat and published by Haymarket. I reached out to Physicians for Human Rights yesterday for elaboration about the practice and am awaiting a response.
Update: Commenter a blah chick has provided documentation of the practice from the Israeli press, in comment section below. I’m grateful for her/his help.
what a bunch of BS. And how do these wards segregate the Palestinian MDs who treat both Jews and Arabs in the same wards? It doesn’t even make logical sense since the entire system is integrated with doctors, nurses and patients of all stripes.
“I reached out to Physicians for Human Rights yesterday for elaboration about the practice and am awaiting a response.”
Well here’s an article from 2006 that was in Haaretz: “Galilee maternity wards keep Arab and Jewish new moms apart
By Eli Ashkenazi Jan. 2, 2006
“Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya maintains that separating Jewish and Arab new mothers is not a matter of policy, but rather reflects the desire of the mothers themselves, who ask to be in rooms with women who speak their language.”
But apparently it is not always up to the mothers:
“Jalal Bana, a communications consultant from Acre, had a similar experience a year ago when he came with his wife Ramia to give birth. …”The department has two sections. I saw spacious rooms on the right with one or two beds, and on the left, it was much more crowded. They put my wife on the left. I saw there were empty beds on the right. Only after an argument did Ramia get one of the spacious rooms.”
Here’s another article from JPost Feb 28 2012: “MKs denounce segregation in maternity wards”
“There is no place for separating hospital patients on ethnic, racial or religious grounds, Dr. Michael Dor, head of the Health Ministry’s general medical branch, told a session of the Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee on Monday.
The meeting was held at the initiative of Labor MK Ghaleb Majadle, who was upset by reports that such unofficial segregation in obstetrics wards is taking place at the women’s request. ”
The article then quotes one Dr. Benny Davidson of the Association of Hospital Directors who said “We try to meet requests of new mothers if possible. But the phenomenon of segregating them by nationality does not exist and has no significance.”
Translation: segregation may not be official policy but we go along with it until someone complains loud enough or we get caught.
Phil, I continue to say that you should write a book on the media and the total silence on Jewish apartheid. This would never go unreported if whites & blacks had to go to seperate maternity wards in the UK for example.
There have been tons of books about the conflict on the ground – and that’s needed – but little to nothing written about the reasons for the complicity in silence in America in particular, and especially in the media.
One thing I find most interesting is that the “pro-Israel” posters seemingly apologize for documented racist actions on the part of Israeli society or gov’t. I would think they would be smart enough to acknowledge what is alleged if it will come out anyway and be documented beyond doubt, and say, “true, we can do better” or “this should be fixed, and so and so will be notified”. This seems to confirm that Israel boosters are not interested in making their society more just or inclusive. That puts them at odds with American Jews and Americans in general, and the (fictional) image of a “democratic” Israel.