Israel–Palestine: dehumanisation and silencing
Authors: Mishal S Khan, Alu Tacon Tinua
Journal: The Lancet (2024)

The International Court of Justice ruled on Jan 26, 2024, that Israel must prevent its forces from committing acts of genocide against Palestinians and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.1BBCICJ orders Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza but not to end war.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-68097640Date: 2024Date accessed: January 29, 2024Google Scholar This ruling is the latest in a string of highly qualified, independent bodies expressing grave concern about the ongoing attacks on Palestine. Yet, some health-care professionals continue to justify violence against civilians and many health-care professionals and academics have been prevented from making statements that align with those of the International Court of Justice and UN. "We did what we could. Remember us"—that is what Dr Abu Nujaila, a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) doctor wrote on a Gaza hospital whiteboard before he and several of his colleagues were killed by an Israeli strike. Similar to these MSF doctors, many health-care professionals are incredibly dedicated to preserving life. The justification of indiscriminate Israeli attacks by some health-care professionals is possible only because of the dehumanisation of Palestinian people, predicated on racial prejudices. We saw this dehumanisation when the Israeli Defence Minister told the world on Oct 9, 2023, that Israel would be depriving Palestinians of necessities, such as fuel and water, because Israel is "fighting human animals"2Fabian E Defense minister announces 'complete siege' of Gaza: no power, food, or fuel.www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/defense-minister-announces-completesiege-of-gaza-no-power-food-or-fuel/Date: 2023Date accessed: January 12, 2024Google Scholar and when the Israeli Heritage Minister referred to the "monsters in Gaza".3Melanie SwanIsraeli minister suspended for suggesting nuclear bomb on Gaza a possibility.www.thetimes.co.uk/article/israeli-minister-suspended-for-suggestingnuclear-bomb-on-gaza-a-possibility-2mhhr22hbDate: 2023Date accessed: January 12, 2024Google Scholar The intentional degradation of Palestinians to justify human rights violations should perhaps not come as a surprise. Propagating a belief that some lives have lower value and less right to self-determination, usually based on racist or discriminatory notions of worthiness, is a fundamental step towards building acceptance for massacres. However, the silence of individuals and institutions working in global public health, humanitarian assistance, and health care, despite the values key to their work—such as alleviating suffering, preserving life, and upholding dignity for all—is disappointing. In addition to sharing Richard Horton's concerns about doctors justifying the killing of civilians,4Horton R Offline: "My brothers and sisters in Israel and Palestine".Lancet. 2023; 4022180 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (2) Google Scholar we highlight the problem of health-care professionals and academics being forced to moderate their condemnation of atrocities in Palestine owing to the fear of career repercussions. The silencing of health-care professionals and academics has been driven by funders, such as several European countries who froze funding to non-governmental organisations highlighting human rights violations in Palestine,5St Andrews University rector urged to apologise over Israel 'genocide' claim.www.bbc.co.uk/news/ukscotland-edinburgh-east-fife-67529665Date: 2023Date accessed: January 12, 2024Google Scholar by institutional leadership penalising individuals who make statements echoing those of the UN,6Smith J Kwong EJ Hanbali L Hafez S Neilson A Khoury R Violence in Palestine demands immediate resolution of its settler colonial root causes.BMJ Glob Health. 2023; 8e014269 Crossref Scopus (5) Google Scholar and by aggressive backlash from colleagues in their field.7Brzozowski A EU places Palestine development aid under review after Hamas attack.www.euractiv.com/section/enlargement-neighbourhood/news/euplaces-palestine-development-aid-underreview-after-hamas-attack/Date: 2023Date accessed: January 12, 2024Google Scholar Academics and health-care professionals have always been crucial advocates for justice, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they played valuable roles in scrutinising governments' actions. Stifling this role is not only detrimental to patients. This silencing might squander investments to build cohesive work environments for people with different ethnic and religious backgrounds, as minoritised ethnic groups are increasingly concerned about the values of their institutions. For example, there are doubts about whether commitments to decolonisation, anti-racism, and equity made since 2020,8Rahman-Shepherd A Erondu NA Anwar B et al.Antiracism in leading public health universities, journals, and funders: commitments, accountability, and the decision makers.BMJ Glob Health. 2023; 8e010376 Crossref PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar such as diversifying institutional leadership, will be realised. Meaningful reforms require recognition of the historical basis of many inequalities and of historical injustices; these promised changes are incompatible with shutting down discussion about events in the region that preceded the heinous Hamas attacks on Oct 7, 2023. In the global public health sphere, the failure to strongly condemn human rights violations in Gaza is raising questions about organisations' true purpose and values, especially as the global health field has already been called out for its "implicit function of legitimising and reproducing the existing power structure".9Kim H The implicit ideological function of the global health field and its role in maintaining relations of power.BMJ Glob Health. 2021; 6e005620 Crossref Scopus (20) Google Scholar For many, institutions' silence and their role in silencing in the face of a raging, manufactured public health crisis in Gaza reveals their level of commitment to challenging racial stereotyping and dehumanisation better than statements they have made. We declare no competing interests. Alu Tacon Tinua is a pseudonym—the irony of one of us being unable to reveal our name, in a Correspondence about silencing, is not lost on us. We stand in steadfast solidarity with our colleagues who are torn between unwavering principles and the pragmatic considerations of their livelihoods. "Sometimes we are blessed with being able to choose the time, and the arena, and the manner of our revolution, but more usually we must do battle where we are standing."—Audre Lorde Editorial note: The Lancet Group takes a neutral position with respect to territorial claims in published text and institutional affiliations.