Many of BT readers probably recall that the only reports coming out of Gaza during the Israeli incursion exactly a year ago was from Norwegian doctors Mads Gilbert and Erik Fosse.
Apart from his work in Gaza, Professor Gilbert was recently also featured in CNN’s special “Cheating Death” with Sanjay Gupta.
Ten years ago, Anna Bagenholm was a 29-year-old Norwegian medical resident on a ski excursion when an accident landed her head first, in a freezing stream. In his book and documentary, Gupta recounts how Bagenholm’s core body temperature dipped to 56°F. She was clinically dead for three hours, yet doctors still managed to reviveher. Despite staggering odds, Bagenholm eventually made a full recovery. Gupta describes the “miracle” of her survival as not due to luck, but instead as the result of evidence-based calibrations and her experienced medical team, led by emergency physician Dr. Mads Gilbert.
Anyway, Drs. Gilbert and Fosse have now published a book on their experiences in Gaza during Cast Lead.
“The boy with the destroyed brain did not need anaesthetic; he could no longer feel anything. The other lay in an artificial coma with intravenous anaesthetic agents to soften the pain and allow the ventilator to work without resistance from the boy’s own breathing. A large bandage covered both his eyes. He could not see anyway. He was already blind.
Where could I cry out the despair and rage I felt for all this terrible fate we saw at such close quarters? Would the heavens hear? Will the world hear? They know that this is happening, after all. The numbers tick into the West every single afternoon, to the news agencies, to the intelligence services and to the diplomatic missions of the world’s most powerful nations, who do not even make an attempt to pull in the reins and control the wildness of the Israeli war machine.”
[This is a sneak excerpt from Dr. Mads Gilbert & Dr. Erik Fosse’ new book – “Eyes in Gaza” soon to be published in English.]
In the course of Israel’s 22-day-long military offensive on the Gaza Strip, 1,400 Palestinians were killed: very few of them armed men, but mostly civilians, including more than four hundred children. More than 5.500 were injured. The Palestinian community lay in ruins again. For a number
of days, the Norwegian doctors Erik Fosse and Mads Gilbert were the only Western eyewitnesses to this death and destruction. Their sober reporting contributed to a change in attitudes, in large parts of the Western world, towards one of the most prolonged and complex conflicts of our time.
This book is about Fosse and Gilbert’s trip to Gaza and their stay there from 31. December 2008 to 11. January 2009. Despite Israeli authorities having seen to systematically filtering and shutting out people from this conflict zone, NORWAC (Norwegian Aid Committee), succeeds in getting its envoys into Gaza City while all other aid organizations and Western
journalists are left standing by the border.
Israeli authorities were obviously livid that outsiders were actually there to report on the atrocities they were inflicting on the Palestinian population and have campaigned incessantly to vilify the two doctors.
The book has already caused controversy. Especially since the Norwegian Foreign Minister wrote an afterword in the book with praise for Gilbert and Fosse. The Israeli government is “outraged” and strongly criticizes him for doing so.
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told Haaretz that the book being endorsed by Jonas Gahr Store is “outrageous and borders on incitement made up of fabrication and lies.”
“It is problematic that a representative of a democratic government is praising such things,” Ayalon added. Advertisement
The book in question is called “Eyes in Gaza,” written by Mads Gilbert and Erik Fosse after their stay in the Strip during Operation Cast Lead last year.
Dr. Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, said he was “deeply disappointed” by Store’s endorsement of “slanted and baseless libel.” “Norway, which I hope will continue to live far away from terrorism, needs to know that such statements feed and assist the terrorists,” Kantor said.
“As can be recalled, journalists and reporters were not allowed into Gaza,” a spokesperson for the Norwegian foreign ministry said when asked about the back-cover praises which Store wrote for the highly controversial book.
“When war rages, civilians are made mute,” Store wrote, adding that Fosse and Gilbert “told of what they saw. It was not their duty, but their responsibility. When military might fences out all voices, the few which remain become extra strong and important.”
Pretty rich “outrage” considering that the Israeli government and its “defense” forces most likely violated human rights and may have committed crimes against humanity.
The UN Fact Finding Mission led by Justice Richard Goldstone, released its long-awaited report on the Gaza conflict on September 15. The report concludes that there is evidence indicating that serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law were committed by Israel during the Gaza conflict, and that Israel committed actions amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity.
The report also concludes there is evidence that Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes as well as possibly crimes against humanity, in their repeated launching of rockets and mortars into Southern Israel.
Professor Gilbert is about to start a tour of campuses across the US and Canada to present the book. Maybe you’ll have opportunity to participate.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
Monday January 18th : Ottawa (UofO)
Tuesday January 19th: Sudbury (Laurentian)
Wednesday January 20th: Toronto (Ryerson)
Thursday January 21st: Kingston (Queens
Friday January 22nd: Hamilton (McMaster)
Monday January 25th: Waterloo University
Tuesday January 26th: Calgary (UofC)
Wednesday January 27th: Edmonton (UofA)
Thursday January 28th: Victoria, (UVIC)
Friday January 29th: Vancouver (UBC)
Monday February 1st: Chicago (Benedictine)
Tuesday February 2nd: Chicago (DePaul)
Wednesday February 3rd: New York (Columbia)
Friday February 5th: Montreal (McGill)
And there it is. The obligatory fallback propaganda of Israel and it’s benefactor, the U.S. The fear tactic used to justify war crimes and crimes against humanity, but more importantly, used to keep their own (not so critically thinking) citizens firmly behind and approving of genocidal attacks on civilians.
There is no end to the irony of that statement. There have fortunately been few cases of terrorism in Norway – but one of the first and most notorious cases was committed by – wait for it – Mossad back in 1973.
Hard to find English links/articles, but here is one:
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Caesarea or Wrath of God. Targeted extrajudicial killings, today done all the time on behalf of governments.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
I read the link, thanks, but found no reference about the relatively short prison terms given to the convicted five. I wonder if the Israeli government lobbied the Norwegian government for leniency?
Regarding the refusal to extradite the escaped prisoners, it boggles my mind why and how really, Israel is left free to basically thumb it’s nose at international law and convention and to operate continually outside of U.N. mandates and resolutions.
I can understand the deep wounds and resulting fear that drives the desire to never again be passive and to aggressively and even sometimes preemptively defend itself, but for all intents and purposes Israel is a rogue nation that has squandered so much of the good will it should have been rightfully afforded. In doing that I think it’s less itself less secure than not.
should read: left itself less secure
.
Israeli warcrimes/targeted killings is of all times. The Munich Massacre in 1972, combined with the OPEC monopoly and use of oil as a political weapon, resulted in Western nations making deals with terror nations/movements to free imprisoned terrorists asap. Intention to avoid being targeted with an oil boycott or terror strikes, somewhat similar to the Somalia/Erithrea piracy. Millions of dollars are paid as ransom, to avoid international justice applied to these terrorists, caused by cowardice and short term political goals of all nations. Patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean with warships, catching pirates and letting them go free. Cowardice leads to the next great war.
International Justice needs to be applied in a universal way without discretion of political power of some nations, the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
…but for all intents and purposes Israel is a rogue nation that has squandered so much of the good will it should have been rightfully afforded. In doing that I think it’s [left] itself less secure than not.
I agree with that assessment. Eg, Norway was traditionally a strong supporter of Israel to the extent that Israeli actions were hardly ever questioned. However, the Bouchiki case and the subsequent invasion of Southern Lebanon with the Sabra and Shatila massacre started a massive change in public opinion.
As for the short prison terms; Norway has a philosophy of humane treatment of criminals and prison terms for serious offenses are considered short if compared with what is practice in many other countries. In this case, however, there was certainly back-room negotiations and the convicts were released early after receiving less than minimum sentences in the first place. The actual shooters were never captured. Those that were prosecuted were convicted for accessory to premeditated murder.
Norway solves riddle of Mossad killing
(BTW: I doubt the conclusion of the commission, maybe there was no official cooperation with Mossad, there were most likely “free-lancers” involved.)
Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land. True today as it was several years ago when it was first produced.
Lies, lies, and more lies to cover up the nature of the Israel’s occupation of Palestine, whose sole purpose remain its colonialism.
Part I:
Part II:
Thanks, shergald!
Hope one of Dr. Gilbert’s venues over the next few weeks is within reach for you. I plan to to to the one @ Columbia on 3 February and my partner (who is Jewish) plans to go as well.
Fraid not. But I do hope that Dr. Gilbert will repeat his tour and mainly focus on US cities. There are many orgs that would likely host him.