22 August

On Friday 15 August the Jerusalem Post published an article in which Hadassah Ein Karem hospital accused the LAW website of lying in its report on the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip . LAW does not wish to engage in a debate with the Jerusalem Post, a newspaper noted for its far-right leanings, nor with Hadassah Hospital, noted for its recent abusive treatment of a Palestinian administrative detainee. We publish, however, the following comments to clarify the situation.

1) The article claims that LAW lied when it stated that the patient Randa Hassouna had been expelled from Ein Kerem hospital in a serious condition following the bombings in Jerusalem on 30 July. As LAW points out in its update on the Israeli closure the original claim was accurate. Aside from Randa and her family’s repeated claims that she was told to leave the hospital, Randa was dismissed from the hospital in a state of concussion. This fact is born out by East Jerusalem’s Mekassed hospital’s medical report, the hospital to which she went upon leaving Hadassa Ein Karem. In Mekassed’s medical report, she was admitted with head trauma and concussion, and remained hospitalized for a full week, until 8 August. Yet the director-general of Hadassah Hospital, Shmuel Penchas, claimed that "she no longer needed treatment".

2) Penchas also claimed in his widely circulated accusations against LAW that Hadassah does not discriminate against Palestinian patients. Again LAW has shown that this is simply not true. The Update reports on a Palestinian patient chained to his bed and handcuffed while using the toilet facilities . It would be interesting to know the hospital administration’s opinion of this and whether they regard this as an example of racism.

3) The main thrust of the LAW report has been ignored by Penchas and the Jerusalem Post. That is - the effect of the blockade on Palestinian economic, social and living conditions. It is an indisputable fact that Palestinians have been denied medical treatment, staff have been denied access to hospitals and in at least one case a women forced to give birth at a checkpoint. Where is the concern for the health of Palestinians and their supposed stand against racism?

4) The Jerusalem Post falsely attributed the LAW report to Birzeit University’s website. The LAW website is hosted at the university server and is an entirely independent organization. We believe it is rather obvious to anyone who looks at this website that it is the website of LAW and not BZU.