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News | Global Jewish Health Alliance Condemns UN Rapporteur's Call to Boycott Israeli Medicine
Global Jewish Health Alliance Condemns UN Rapporteur's Call to Boycott Israeli Medicine
January 27 2025 By SAJMAP
In a sharply worded open letter, the Global Jewish Health Alliance (GJHA) - representing nearly 250,000 individuals across five continents - has urged the United Nations to reject recent remarks by Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese calling for a medical boycott of Israel. The letter, addressed to UNHRC President Jürg Lauber and High Commissioner Volker Turk, argues that politicising medicine risks catastrophic consequences for global healthcare and undermines decades of international scientific cooperation.
The GJHA accuses Albanese's proposal of being both dangerous and unethical, stating that such a boycott would jeopardise patient care, delay life-saving treatments, and fracture critical research collaborations. The letter highlights Israel's contributions to global health, including the polio vaccination of children in Gaza during conflict, while condemning the use of hospitals in Gaza by Hamas as military strongholds. The alliance calls on the UN, WHO, and the global medical community to defend the apolitical integrity of healthcare and stand against any form of medical or academic boycotts.
Click on document below to read the full letter.