A PRESS STATEMENT

 

The Jamiatul Ulama South Africa (JUSA) expresses dismay over the failure of Discovery Health to disassociate itself from entities whose roles either directly or indirectly stand complicit in the on-going genocidal war on Gaza.

 

Discovery Health is sponsoring and participating in an international event entitled the Future of Health Annual Summit, which started on 17th November 2024 in Cape Town, where partnering agencies include the Israeli Ministry of Health (IMH).

 

IMH is an organ of the state which is engaged in genocidal warfare against Palestinians in Gaza, for nearly fourteen months, since 7 October 2023. Israel’s dismantling of Gaza’s health infrastructure, the denial of supply of medicines and the targeting of healthcare professionals has been well-documented, reflecting a deliberate policy of denying Palestinians access to medical care.

 

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), restrictions in fuel supply or direct attacks on infrastructure leading to power outages, and blockading of essential supplies such as medicines and healthcare products to the Gaza Strip hospitals, are hindering the delivery of life-saving medical care. Besides patients and thousands of civilians, Israeli attacks have directly resulted in injuries and deaths of hundreds of health workers, besides severely limiting the capacity of healthcare facilities and ambulances to provide emergency services.

 

Talking “Future of Health” with partners such as IMH, an agency of the establishment engaged in a calculated and systematic campaign to annihilate Palestinians, stands outrageously absurd, and as a publicity exercise devoid of the ethical.

 

Across the globe, there is recognition that the Israeli state has gone rogue and should be treated as a pariah, in all arenas of trade, cultural, academic, social and technical cooperation. JUSA therefore urges Discovery Health to heed the calls made by the Health Workers for Palestine-South Africa (HW4P-SA) among others, to reconsider their current position, and take steps that will not only restore confidence among a significant proportion of subscribers to their services who are empathetic to the suffering of Palestinians, but also to demonstrate their commitment towards equity and the value of human life, regardless of ethnicity or nationality.

 

By ignoring this appeal, Discovery Health stands at odds with the growing global consensus to isolate Israel for war crimes that have collapsed Gaza’s healthcare system, where Palestinians die from malnutrition, disease and lack of specialised care for critically wounded survivors of massacres.

 

Released by:

 

The Executive Committee
Jamiatul Ulama South Africa

 

17 Jumaadal Ulaa 1446 / 19 November 2024