One of the world’s oldest and most venerable medical journals is under attack from an international group of more than 500 doctors over its coverage of the humanitarian disaster caused by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Lancet and its editor, Richard Horton, have been targeted over what the group claims is the “grossly irresponsible misuse of [the journal] for political purposes”. The controversy was sparked by an article deemed to be critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
The protesting doctors, including five Nobel laureates as well as Lord Winston, the broadcaster and IVF pioneer, style themselves “concerned academics”, and accuse the journal of publishing “stereotypical extremist hate propaganda”. They also accuse the journal’s owner, the publishing firm Reed Elsevier, of “profiting from the publication of dishonest and malicious material that incites hatred and violence”.
The doctors threatened to boycott the journal if Reed Elsevier does not “enforce appropriate ethical standards of editorship”.
Observers say it is the most serious threat to The Lancet and free speech in academia since the journal’s first campaigning editor, Thomas Wakley, faced a series of lawsuits after attacking the incompetence, nepotism and greed of the medical elite shortly after it was founded 192 years ago.
The problem with The Lancet isn't its political positions. The problem is that it is willing to publish lies in support of its political positions. The controversy isn't free speech, it is that a "venerable" journal is willing to jettison all academic and scientific standards in order to push its narrow anti-Israel agenda.
The letter that sparked this reaction wasn't just anti-Israel - it was anti-Israel lies. It said "Entries of food and medicines into Gaza have been restricted and many essential items for survival are prohibited." That is a lie. It said "Before the present assault, medical stock items in Gaza were already at an all time low because of the blockade." That is a lie. It said "Likewise, Gaza is unable to export its produce.... agricultural products cannot be exported due to the blockade." That is a lie. The authors said "We declare no competing interests." That is a lie, since at least some are well known anti-Israel activists.
The Independent, and The Lancet, are defending lies in academic journals!
This is hardly the first time that The Lancet showed willingness to publish anti-Israel lies. It published a study that used a very flawed methodology to claim that Israel is the reason Palestinian Arab men beat their wives.
It published, as credible, accusations that Israeli doctors were involved in torturing Arab prisoners - ignoring that in the specific case they made those accusations, independent pathologists said they could find no evidence of the wild claims of "torture" or "poisoning" of the prisoner.
It once published, as fact, the claim that Palestinians "cannot take care of health and education as long as [they] live under occupation." As I pointed out then, somehow Jewish hospitals were originally established under British and Ottoman occupation.
The Lancet even jumped in on the "Arafat poisoned by polonium" idiocy.
The Lancet isn't offensive only because it is anti-Israel. It is offensive because it cannot distinguish fact from fantasy, which should be concern every doctor on Earth who wants to use it as a source.