Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Reviews PERSONAL VIEWS

Palestine: the assault on health and other war crimes

BMJ 2004; 329 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.329.7471.924 (Published 14 October 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;329:924

Rapid Response:

New low for the BMJ and Summerfield

The BMJ is a joke? Why is Derek Summerfield so qualified to make the
purely emotional observation that Israeli soldiers are trained to kill
children? Who was the editor who allowed this piece of rubbish to be
printed without proper review?

Why doesn't the BMJ print infant mortality figures for palestinian
territories vs the arab world - they would find a much improved mortality
and morbidity. Why don't they look at the number of palestinians treated
exceptionally in israeli hospitals, by israeli jews and arabs?

The conflict cannot and should not be argued in such a way in a
medical journal. There are rights and wrongs but what is needed is a way
to go forward which is not presented. Dr Summerfield knows full well
ambulances have been used to transport weapons which is why they are
stopped.

If this is the type of thing the BMJ publishes, I will submit all my
thoughts for the day there. Maybe though with this sort of unending
criticism, israeli hospitals should stop treating palestinians if this is
what they get in return?

And, one question - THE SECURITY FENCE, HAS IT SAVED THE LIVES OF
INNOCENT WOMEN AND CHILDREN? of course it has - which is why people have
to kill jews on holiday.

There will be peace when the terror ends. BMJ and summerfield take
note.

Competing interests:
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

19 October 2004
M Finch
Registrar
Edinburgh, EH3