As physicians and physicians-in-training dedicated to dismantling racism and accompanying systems of oppression in medicine, we condemn the rising harassment and punishment of healthcare workers advocating for a free Palestine and the end of Israel-led, U.S.-funded genocide and apartheid. Over the past several weeks, Palestine Legal, an organization dedicated to resisting the silencing, harassment, and abuse of those in solidarity with Palestine, has documented over 400 such incidents in the U.S., necessitating a statement on these rising attacks. In medicine, we’ve seen the dismissal of attendings and residents who have publicly supported Palestinian resistance and the punishment of groups of residents who have called for a ceasefire, the end of the siege on occupied Gaza, and the end of Israeli occupation (see below).
It has been 75 years since the Nakba, where Zionists forcibly displaced almost 800,000 Palestinians, who have been subsequently subjected to relentless imprisonment, segregation, dispossession, and mass murder. The groundwork for the current siege on Gaza lies in Israel creating a walled-off prison of Palestinian refugees whose very movement and access to water and food is controlled by Israeli forces. Over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are being bombed relentlessly, burned by internationally-condemned white phosphorus, denied basic medical supplies, and starved. This is accompanied by the increasing murder, imprisonment, and displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank. Those advocating for a free Palestine see Israel for what it is: a genocidal, settler colonial project to remove indigenous Palestinians from their land, either through displacement or death, for the creation of an ethno-religious Zionist state.
As humans and healthcare providers whose tax dollars fund the Israeli military, we have a duty to resist Israel-led genocide and apartheid. While the harassment and punishment of pro-Palestine activists is not new, we see the increasing doxing of those advocating for a free Palestine not only as Zionists’ attempt to silence opposition, but as part of a larger wave of McCarthyism and fascism, where those in power view any resistance to oppression as a punishable offense. This is part of an agenda to completely dehumanize Palestinians such that resistance to their genocide is socially unacceptable.
An increasing number of American medical institutions have moved beyond their complicity with the U.S.-funded genocide of Palestinians, either through their silence or Zionist statements, to personally target Palestinian and Palestinian-American healthcare providers advocating for the freedom of their own people, and their allies. This is a violation of the human right to resist the mass murder and dispossession of one’s own people, and allies’ rights to stand in solidarity. In addition, medical institutions’ participation in Zionist doxing further fuels Islamophobia and endorses anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab discrimination. For the reasons described above, we demand:
- All American medical institutions immediately reinstate all healthcare providers who have been fired or placed on leave for demanding a ceasefire, the end of the siege on occupied Gaza, and the end of Israeli occupation, or have affirmed Palestinians’ right to resist in the face of 75 years of relentless oppression
- Involved institutions issue public apologies to impacted healthcare providers
- All disciplinary actions are removed from the records of impacted providers
- Offending institutions offer any needed letters explaining disruptions in training or work which explicitly state that the disruption was the result of the inappropriate actions of the institution
- Institutions retract all statements denouncing healthcare providers in solidarity with Palestine and any associated punishments
- Institutions immediately end efforts to intimidate pro-Palestine medical workers into silence (e.g. through disciplinary or professionalism meetings, threatening emails, encouraging a culture of reporting those in solidarity with Palestine, etc.).
We are including a list of incidents we have been made aware of, including ways to support targeted individuals, and will update this list as needed.
We commend all those who have courageously answered the call and amplified the voices of Palestinians, both in the past and during this moment of escalated violence. We encourage those in need of legal support to reach out to Palestine Legal and consult this legal resources guide from Healthcare Workers for Palestine. While no one is responsible for their own harassment, we also wanted to provide resources to help protect yourself, which are listed below. Information regarding upcoming actions and educational events will be posted on our website and social media accounts.
Healthcare workers in the U.S. who have been impacted by doxing and other forms of harassment/punishment (list is not exhaustive):
- Dr. Zaki Masoud, medical resident fired from NYU Langone Winthrop Hospital (Sign a petition for his reinstatement)
- Dr. Abeer N. AbouYabis, a Hematologist fired from Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute
- Harbor-UCLA Medical Center’s punishment of the Family Medicine department for making a statement on Instagram in support of Palestine
- Dr. Dana Diab, Emergency Medicine physician fired from Lenox Hill Hospital
- Tania Singh, a nurse union organizer fired from the Minnesota Nurses Association (Tania Singh’s GoFundMe)
Resources to help protect yourself against doxing and harassment:
- Anti-doxing guide for activists
- Digital security
- What to do if Human Resources wants to talk to you about your Palestine posts
Counseling Services:
Statements and articles on the increasing censorship, harassment, and punishment of pro-Palestine activists:
- Legal Community Call to Protect Palestine Advocates, Palestine Legal (included in statement)
- Stop the Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Healthcare Voices by Mike Pappas and Mallika Govindan
In solidarity,
The WC4BL National Working Group
