What is the WMA for? The case of the Israeli Medical Association

Abstract

We noted the responses of your correspondents (May 24, p 1826),1Chalmers I Blachar Y Summerfield D Zic H The role of the Israel and World Medical Associations..Lancet. 2003; 361: 1826-1827Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar to the comments by Derek Summerfield2Summerfield D What is the WMA for? The case of the Israeli Medical Association..Lancet. 2003; 361: 424Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar and Yoram Blachar3Blachar Y Israel Medical Association: response to Derek Summerfield..Lancet. 2003; 361: 425Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (3) Google Scholar about the Israel and World Medical Associations (WMA). None of the correspondents, however, address one issue mentioned by Blachar, President of the Israeli Medical Association, which we consider to be crucial to the debate.Blachar is correct to point out that in 1999 the Israeli Supreme Court banned the use of physical pressure during interrogations, but he is disingenuous when he fails to mention that the court allowed the escape clause of “defence of necessity” and referred the whole matter back to the Knesset, which has never revised the law, with the result that “moderate physical pressure” is still legal in Israel. That such practices continue to this day is documented by Amnesty International,4Amnesty International.Combating torture -a manual for action. Amnesty International Publications, London2003Google Scholar B'Tselem, and other non-governmental organisations.Blachar further muddies the water when he tells us that Israel has rejected torture by signing the Declaration of Tokyo, but he does not classify “moderate physical pressure” as torture. This euphemism embraces such routine procedures as hooding, extended sleep deprivation, continuous loud noise, prolonged strained posture, cramped confinement, and violent shaking. In 1997, the UN Committee against Torture specifically listed these techniques as torture. Almost identical techniques were used by the British security forces in Northern Ireland in the 1970s in similar circumstances to those now happening in the Occupied Territories, but were later banned as being unacceptably torturous. As a result there was a sharp drop in complaints against the authorities, but no diminution in the security forces' ability to control the situation. Blachar should note that the outlawing of the interrogation techniques in Northern Ireland was in large measure a result of public protests by the police surgeons. We noted the responses of your correspondents (May 24, p 1826),1Chalmers I Blachar Y Summerfield D Zic H The role of the Israel and World Medical Associations..Lancet. 2003; 361: 1826-1827Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar to the comments by Derek Summerfield2Summerfield D What is the WMA for? The case of the Israeli Medical Association..Lancet. 2003; 361: 424Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar and Yoram Blachar3Blachar Y Israel Medical Association: response to Derek Summerfield..Lancet. 2003; 361: 425Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (3) Google Scholar about the Israel and World Medical Associations (WMA). None of the correspondents, however, address one issue mentioned by Blachar, President of the Israeli Medical Association, which we consider to be crucial to the debate. Blachar is correct to point out that in 1999 the Israeli Supreme Court banned the use of physical pressure during interrogations, but he is disingenuous when he fails to mention that the court allowed the escape clause of “defence of necessity” and referred the whole matter back to the Knesset, which has never revised the law, with the result that “moderate physical pressure” is still legal in Israel. That such practices continue to this day is documented by Amnesty International,4Amnesty International.Combating torture -a manual for action. Amnesty International Publications, London2003Google Scholar B'Tselem, and other non-governmental organisations. Blachar further muddies the water when he tells us that Israel has rejected torture by signing the Declaration of Tokyo, but he does not classify “moderate physical pressure” as torture. This euphemism embraces such routine procedures as hooding, extended sleep deprivation, continuous loud noise, prolonged strained posture, cramped confinement, and violent shaking. In 1997, the UN Committee against Torture specifically listed these techniques as torture. Almost identical techniques were used by the British security forces in Northern Ireland in the 1970s in similar circumstances to those now happening in the Occupied Territories, but were later banned as being unacceptably torturous. As a result there was a sharp drop in complaints against the authorities, but no diminution in the security forces' ability to control the situation. Blachar should note that the outlawing of the interrogation techniques in Northern Ireland was in large measure a result of public protests by the police surgeons. What is the WMA for? The case of the Israeli Medical AssociationAuthor's reply Full-Text PDF