Morality of convenience: the ongoing failure to protect hospitals and health workers in conflict zones
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, is pleading for protection of health facilities, health professionals, and vulnerable people (doi:10.1136/bmj.p2656).1 He is being ignored, as are the many sensible voices supporting an urgent ceasefire and peace in Gaza. These include the pope and the archbishop of Canterbury (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/13/british-palestinians-demand-meeting-rishi-sunak-gaza-ceasefirehttps://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pope-urges-stop-name-god-calls-gaza-humanitarian-aid-2023-11-05).23 They include Jews and Muslims, and people of all faiths, races, and nationalities (doi:10.1136/bmj.p2645).4Very many people understand that a peaceful resolution respecting the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians is the best path. The US and the UK are belatedly lobbying Israel for restraint (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/13/biden-lawsuit-alleged-failure-prevent-genocide-israel-palestine).5 Today’s wars and conflicts pay scant heed to the Geneva Conventions. They care little for deaths of civilians, attacks on humanitarian workers, or targeting of health facilities and health professionals. The political lobbies, propaganda machines, and misinformation campaigns are mobilised to obfuscate, manipulate, and justify. The means are seemingly justified by the goal. Civilian…
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