Monday, August 28, 2017

FEBS ignores Israel's obstruction of life-saving treatment for the Palestinians

"One of the themes of the conference is the biochemistry of cancer. Rates of cancer are rising, particularly for Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip. But as the scholars point out, Israel actively obstructs life-saving treatment: “The five-year survival rate for breast cancer is as low as 30 percent in Gaza, which Israel has besieged for the past 10 years, as compared to 86 percent in Israel. In 2016, only 44 percent of Gaza patients who requested access to Israeli hospitals were admitted; more than half of those refused entry were cancer patients.” Meanwhile, the health system in Gaza is at the brink of collapse due to Israel’s severe reductions in the energy supply to the territory." (thanks Amir)