A British-Palestinian surgeon who sparked controversy for his comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict said authorities in Germany had denied him entry on Friday, claiming the government was “silencing a witness to genocide.”
Professor Ghassan Abu Sittah, who received criticism after praising the mastermind behind the 2018 drive-by murder of Rabbi Raziel Shevach as a “hero,” he said in Twitter/X he had been “forcibly prevented” from entering the country to speak at a conference “about my work in Gaza hospitals.”
He was to attend the ‘Palestinian Conference’. We will put you on trial’, an act that calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, allegedly has been the target of attacks by German pro-Israel organizations in recent weeks, inspiring calls for its ban.
The event was close abruptly this afternoon, when Berlin police cut the power to the room where the conference was being held, warning pro-Palestinian attendees and speakers “we will prosecute you” earlier this afternoon. Police saying They had sent 930 agents to secure the event.
Abu Sittah became one of the most prominent voices in the besieged Palestinian enclave after traveling to Gaza on October 9, two days after the conflict broke out, to care for the wounded and report on the challenges facing the population. civil.
But the doctor has since been placed under investigation by the University of Glasgow, where he was recently appointed chancellor, after UK Lawyers for Israel referred the institution to “offensive social media tweets” shared by Abu Sittah, commenting the long-standing conflict.
Abu Sittah said authorities in Germany had denied him entry on Friday, claiming the government was “silencing a witness to genocide.”
Police announce the termination of the Palestinian Congress and ask all participants to leave the premises on April 12, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
Police implemented intense security measures both inside and outside the venue where the conference was held.
Pro-Palestinian chants echoed around the area as attendees gathered for the event.
Medical staff and patients at En-Neccar hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on December 27
Writing on Twitter/X this afternoon, Dr Abu Sittah said: ‘Invited to participate in a conference in Berlin about my work in Gaza hospitals during the current conflict.
‘The German government has forcibly prevented me from entering the country[.]
“Silencing a genocide witness before the ICJ increases Germany’s complicity in the ongoing massacre.”
The post continued: ‘They are accomplices to the crime and that is what accomplices do. They bury the evidence and silence the witnesses. Nicaraguan charges admitted at the ICJ [sic].’
He later claimed that he was being forced to leave the country, writing: “It is always important to have a good book to read when you are deported.”
Abu Sittah shared an image of ‘We Are Free to Change the World: The Lessons of Love and Disobedience of Hannah Arendt’, a book that explores the Jewish philosopher’s experience escaping the Holocaust and influential writings on totalitarianism and political action in the twentieth century.
Arendt’s philosophical writings (and her reports on the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1961) were controversial among the American Jewish community. He opposed the partition of Palestine and criticized Zionism, with nuanced and oscillating opinions on the subject throughout his life.
Since being appointed chancellor, Dr Abu-Sittah has sought to change the University of Glasgow’s definition of anti-Semitism to remove linking any criticism of Israel with the term, distinguishing between criticism of Zionism and anti-Semitism.
He stated in his campaign manifesto: “While I am absolutely committed to addressing all forms of antisemitism, I believe that by linking criticism of Israel with antisemitism, this definition threatens academic criticism of Israel and Palestinian solidarity events.
“My fear, shared by the University and Colleges Union, is that such a definition risks undermining freedom of expression and intellectual thought on campus.”
Professor Ghassan Abu-Sittah (pictured) returned to the UK after traveling to Gaza in October
The police wait after announcing the end of the Palestinian Congress and asked all participants to leave the premises while people attend the Palestinian Congress.
Abu Sittah was to attend the ‘Palestinian Conference’. We will take you to trial’, an event supposedly targeted by German pro-Israel organizations in recent weeks
Jewish students at the University of Glasgow have expressed concern following the appointment of Dr Abu Sittah.
Dorothy Sheratt, co-president of the Jewish Society of Glasgow, said: ‘We express deep concern and fear at the election of Ghassan Abu Sittah as the new rector.
“Someone who praises outlawed terrorists (as defined in the US and EU) cannot lead the university or fulfill the rector’s obligation to provide pastoral care to all students equally.”
Abu-Sittah faced accusations of sharing offensive posts on social media. The Jewish Chronicle too revealed had praised Ahmad Jarrar, who organized the assassination of Rabbi Raziel Shevach, a father of six, near Nablus in 2018, calling him one of the “best and beloved sons” of Palestine and a “hero.”
‘The martyrdom of resistance member Ahmed Nasr Jarrar, the hero of the Nablus operation, at the hands of the Zionist occupation army… as well as the hundreds of resistance fighters who were martyred at the hands of this satanic alliance, represents a crucial moment.’ he wrote in the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar.
A year later, he was photographed sitting next to Leila Khaled, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), known for her role in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969.
The PFLP took control of the plane traveling from Rome to Tel Aviv, carrying an American diplomat, and forced it to land in Syria, where they blew off the nose of the plane.
There were no fatalities, but at least two passengers suffered minor injuries.
Criticism of Abu Sittah’s associations and his conduct on social media prompted an investigation by the university, confirmed by principal and vice-chancellor Sir Anton Muscatelli.
Sir Anton Muscatelli wrote to the UKLFI advocacy group saying: “The Chancellor is a wholly independent role (separate from the senior management of the University) with no executive authority in the University, and although the Chancellor is free to express his thoughts and represent the of students…in fact, this has been the case throughout history; we are clear that these views are independent and do not represent those of the University.’
In a video shared online, the doctor is seen finishing his speech after becoming rector, quoting MP and Provisional IRA member Bobby Sands as saying that “our revenge will be the laughter of our children.”
He also took the time to pay tribute to his colleagues and “our land” in Palestine in a tearful speech, receiving applause from the crowd.
Appointment continues to divide, former Royal Navy war officer Chris Parry writing on Twitter/X: ‘What a shame.’
Palestinian Dr Abu-Sittah becomes chancellor of Glasgow University and addresses students
He was photographed sitting next to hijacker and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine member Leila Khaled at a memorial service in 2019.
Abu Sittah returned from Gaza to east London after 44 days in Gaza treating patients and collaborated with Scotland Yard to help the International Criminal Court investigate alleged war crimes in the war between Israel and Hamas.
He said earlier this year that he hopes that by providing evidence of his time working on the strip, international bodies will “reestablish the norms of warfare that emerged after World War II,” which he says have been broken since the ” inflection point”. The conflict began in October.
The doctor, who is an honorary professor at King’s College London and Imperial College London, previously worked in other bloody wars in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
He then became a founding member of the conflict medicine program at the American University of Beirut.