South African Trade Unions Call for Expulsion of Israeli Medical Association

South Africa's largest trade union federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), has joined with health sector unions to demand the expulsion of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) from the World Medical Association (WMA).

COSATU, along with NEHAWU (National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union), DENOSA (Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa), as well as the SA Medical Association (SAMA), issued the joint call earlier this week. Organisers will protest outside the WMA today, Friday 10 October, supported by campaign groups like BDS South Africa.

In issuing the call for expulsion, COSATU claimed that the IMA "has never denounced or seriously confronted the Israeli government on its shameless use of torture", and has "shown blatant disregard for the ethical issue of medical neutrality."

The South African trade unions also accused the IMA of having "stood silently in the face of...the killing, harassment and wounding of Palestinian health professionals on duty; and the destruction of the Palestinian health systems." They note that "direct appeals to the IMA [over many years] have been unavailing."

COSATU was one of the first trade unions in the world to endorse the Palestinian-led, international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign. Citing the struggle against South African apartheid, COSTAU is urging the expulsion of the IMA from the WMA, until the Israeli body "unequivocally condemns, distances and actively counter's Israel's torture, occupation and apartheid policies."

Source for this article is here.

P.S. The South African trade unions deserve loud kudos... like the Nobel peace prize... from the larger gentile community for this action. A humble attaboy goes to them from this lil blogger. Thank you for humanity sake.