Israel Admits Harvesting Palestinian Organs; Int’l Criminal Court Must Intervene
Posted Dec 21, 2009

ISRAEL ADMITS HARVESTING PALESTINIAN ORGANS; INT’L CRIMINAL COURT MUST INTERVENE

(Washington, DC - 12/21/09)—Today, several prominent news outlets confirmed what the Israeli government initially denied and denounced as anti-Semitic—that Israeli doctors had extracted human organs from dead Palestinians during the 1988 intifada and into the 1990s. MPAC today called on the U.S. government to condemn this atrocity, which must be investigated as a war crime. The perpetrators of this injustice must be brought to the Hague for prosecution under international law.

SEE: Swedish Paper’s Organ Harvesting Article Draws Israeli Outrage (CNN)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that the Swedes condemn the article as anti-Semitic, but the Swedish government retorted that it cannot encroach on free speech. Bostrom’s story garnered more attention after the indictment of 44 people in New Jersey for money laundering schemes, including Levy-Izhak Rosenbaum for convincing people to give up their kidneys and selling them for $160,000 on the black market.

“That the Israeli government would accuse those who exposed this immoral, illegal and appalling crime of anti-Semitism is evidence of what happens to anyone who dares to criticize any of its actions,” said MPAC Senior Advisor Dr. Maher Hathout. “This tyranny of intimidation is stifling any healthy debate within our society, particularly between American Jews and Muslims.”

The controversy began when the governments of Israel and Sweden exchanged angry remarks over an article written by David Bostrom entitled “Our Sons Plundered for their Organs” in a Swedish newspaper. Bostrom accused Israelis of organ theft on Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers during the first intifada in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and called for an international investigation. Israeli officials responded angrily at the newspaper for publishing the material, calling it anti-Semitism that will lead to hate crimes against Jews in Europe, reminiscent of the pogroms.

What is missing in today’s media reporting is the voice of the Palestinian families who issued the grievances in the first place. After their relatives where killed by Israeli soldiers, the families believed the deceased were taken for autopsies. However, they were returned several days later with noticeable abdominal cavities, stitching of the ventral side of the body, and missing teeth. When they questioned Israeli authorities, they were told that the bodies were investigated on the causes of their unnatural deaths.

Founded in 1988, MPAC is an American institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of Muslim Americans.