Doctors in conflict

Abstract

As a close friend and colleague of David Applebaum, who tirelessly dedicated his life to saving both Jewish and Arab lives, I take great offence at your equating him with a terrorist leader and an instigator of random murder.1Horton R Doctors in conflict: understanding Israel's despair.Lancet. 2003; 362: 928-929Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar In your attempt to be even handed you end up being morally repugnant by equating the random murder of a great physician who served all human beings, irrespective of colour or creed, with the attempted assassination of a dispatcher of suicide terrorists who randomly kills individuals irrespective of colour or creed. You ask “is there a larger part that doctors might play in a solution?”. The answer is for doctors to carry on their mission of healing all people irrespective of their own personal beliefs and their patients' beliefs, and to leave the settling of political disagreements to politicians by peaceful means. Unfortunately, we in Israel who are faced with relentless terrorism do not have the luxury of allowing doctors such as Mahmoud al-Zahar and George Habash to act freely and succeed in their murderous mission. As a close friend and colleague of David Applebaum, who tirelessly dedicated his life to saving both Jewish and Arab lives, I take great offence at your equating him with a terrorist leader and an instigator of random murder.1Horton R Doctors in conflict: understanding Israel's despair.Lancet. 2003; 362: 928-929Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar In your attempt to be even handed you end up being morally repugnant by equating the random murder of a great physician who served all human beings, irrespective of colour or creed, with the attempted assassination of a dispatcher of suicide terrorists who randomly kills individuals irrespective of colour or creed. You ask “is there a larger part that doctors might play in a solution?”. The answer is for doctors to carry on their mission of healing all people irrespective of their own personal beliefs and their patients' beliefs, and to leave the settling of political disagreements to politicians by peaceful means. Unfortunately, we in Israel who are faced with relentless terrorism do not have the luxury of allowing doctors such as Mahmoud al-Zahar and George Habash to act freely and succeed in their murderous mission.