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Victim’s Testimony and Expert Witnesses - War Crimes in Palestine
Dr. Walid Salah Al-Khatib
Bismillahirrahmahnirrahim. Assalamualaikum w.b.h. Before I say my declaration, I want to say first of all I totally agree with what have been said until now. Just to say that our bill is one – all victims of occupation have the same pain. The second thing I want to say about the killer of Palestinians children, Sharon. As we say in our country, there Allah now is punishing him because since one year or more than one year, he is in coma, he is unconscious. God punishes him because he is a killer of Palestinian children, women and people. Believe me, there is information from doctors who are trying to take care of him saying that a very bad smell is from his body while he is alive till now. So, as all we have seen now because of his massacres against Palestinians, we all believe that Allah is punishing him.
And now let me read my declaration.
I’m Dr. Walid Salah Al-Khatib, passport number 1759683. A Palestinian citizen of full age currently resident in Bejala, Al-Jadawur street in Bethlehem do hereby solemnly affirm and declare as follows:-
I’m 46 years of age, married with two children and of Islamic faith. I graduated from Middle College in Palestine with diploma in Mathematics. Later I pursued medicine in Russia and eventually graduated as a doctor in 1987, from the Leningrad Paediatric Medical Institute in what was the USSR, Soviet Union. In 2000, I obtained a high diploma in Management and by 2001, I obtained my masters degree in Community and Public health. Thereafter and under the auspice of UNICEF, I participated in many short courses in health-related subjects in and outside Palestine. However, it is working as a doctor in occupied territories that has brought me the greatest of personal satisfaction albeit with much difficulty and challenge. And as above experience, I wish to put on record particularly of the extreme hardship and inhuman treatment I so often received from the Israeli occupying force at preventing and harming me from properly carrying out my professional duties towards those very much in need of medical assistance.
For a start, my movement in public cause in unnecessarily slowed down by many military check-points placed throughout the occupied territories, rendering any quick and urgent medical response to be completely useless and impossible. The permit system imposed by the Israeli occupying force on the Palestinian Arabs which requires that I obtain prior approval simply to move from one area to another can and often frustrate my spontaneous efforts at reaching a crisis situation with dire consequences on the patient. Even with such permits, it is not always that I am granted that necessary access for the ultimate say like with those brandishing the guns at the check points in the name of security. There were times even where I would be kept waiting for long periods while the Israeli soldiers verified my already approved documents. Should they so wish, they can and have but attain to my deserved destination without even giving any reason whatever, therefore making the whole system of permits arbitrary and meaningless.
The economic and hardships created as a result of occupation also combined of difficulty on the limited Palestinian medical infrastructure designed to help in impoverished people. That said, I do not distinguish one human being to another in execution of my medical duties where I have the past gone to assistance of a Jew who was a victim of gunshot wounds. This in my professional oath and I will continue to do so regardless to whomever. Essential medical supplies are very much lacking causing me in turn to operate with either the bare essentials or at times with none at all apart for my medical skills. Often, this is due to international funds being prevented from reaching the proper Palestinian authorities by the Israeli occupying force. Thus, impairing any establishment exercise of those medical supplies from taking place. Common and most frequent calls I received relative to injuries sustained as a result of being shot and inhaling the toxic fumes from tear gas where a high percentage of those were involved in throwing stones against the Israeli soldiers. This does not however mean that those who are not involved are not less targets themselves as evident from the death of babies, small children, the old and infirmed. With regards to gunshot wounds, the rounds fired were of two kinds – they were either rubber bullets, being supposedly human but not less lethal to leave rounds. It alarms me also to find that pregnant women who were exposed to tear gas suffer from miscarriage. For those with acute bronchial predisposing, on the other hand, death would often follow when exposed to tear gas. It is not uncommon to see tear gas sufferers going into a state of convulsion and spasm with central nervous system and brain being affected. I have also witnessed situations where the Israeli occupying forces used jets to drop bombs on civilian targets and send the delivery of gunship, helicopters to the Israeli occupying force. They too have intended the killing fray. Infertility among Palestinian men have been noted to be on the increase though medically, I have not been able to assert this with accuracy on its root cause but I am inclined to believe that the occupation bears a great and crippling menace on not just the infrastructure but its people. Depression, stress, and stress-related diseases such as hypertension, peptic ulcer, myocardial infraction, diabetes mellitus and others have seized a great number of Palestinians and the young are equally affected. Malnutrition is another cause of concern where people are deprived of proper food which in turn could lead to anaemic especially among children and pregnant women. And of those pregnant becoming anaemic, miscarriage often follows suit.
In spite with all suffering, I have articulated I still live in real hope like many others around me that the object of inhuman oppression of Palestinian people. My people would be heard the world over and in turn be instrumental to bringing an end, once and for all, to this and be decided that greatly and indignity we have so long been subjected to. And I make this solemn declaration consciously, believing the saying to be true and by virtue of the professions of the statutory declaration at 1960. Thank you.
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