Sir – In response to Hugo Slim’s letter (September 12), Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza have been living for the last 46 years under occupation, not as Hugo Slim euphemistically described it “at the heart of . . . an armed conflict”.
The advertisement by Medical Aid for Palestinians was designed to bring home to people in Oxford the reality of that occupation and, in particular, the arbitrary and widespread travel restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities and their effect on Palestinians’ access to medical facilities.
Just as in Oxfordshire a mother would expect her children to have access to specialised services at the John Radcliffe Hospital, so Palestinian mothers should not need Israeli permission to get to the specialised services supplied by the well-established hospitals in East Jerusalem.
As the occupying power, Israel has obligations under international humanitarian law to assure the wellbeing of the Palestinian population; the security of civilians, both Palestinian and Israeli, must be taken into account but this cannot be an excuse for denying access to medical facilities.
Dr Phyllis Starkey, Oxford
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