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Derek Summerfield once again has succeeded in imposing his simplistic view of good versus evil on your readership.¹ I am genuinely pleased that Summerfield does not live in a country under the constant siege of terror, and thus does not need to grapple with complex ethical issues, but can merely dictate to others his standard of exemplary behaviour.

Torture is abhorrent and the IMA in no way endorses it. The IMA was, and remains, a signatory to the Declaration of Tokyo. Similarly, the Israeli Supreme Court banned the use of physical pressure during interrogations in 1999, and the IMA stands firmly behind the law. Even before this decision, the IMA always unequivocally stated that no doctors should be involved in torture. This last fact leads us to conclude that Summerfield is deliberately blurring the lines between Israeli government policy and the IMA's role in monitoring the conduct of its members.

Summerfield has stated on more than one occasion that the IMA “has declined to sanction its members who take part in torture”.² We continue to maintain that we have yet to receive, in any forum, the name of one doctor accused of participating in torture. Blanket accusations are easy to make, but they lack substance and make it difficult for the IMA to deal with the matter effectively. Additionally, we have unfortunately become inured to blanket accusations, which have been made throughout history against Israel and the Jewish people, and which result only in hatred and rabble rousing, rather than in productive discussion.

Summerfield has also previously stated that the IMA cannot maintain that it has no position on the “highly deleterious effects on physical and mental health that flow from the use of torture in Israel”.³ This statement is patently untrue, and no matter how many times Summerfield seeks to slander the IMA, lies will not become truth. The IMA is well aware that torture is not conducive to good health and therefore we repudiate its use. Unfortunately, Summerfield seems to forget that being blown up in a terrorist attack also has a deleterious effect on physical and mental health.

The IMA has been fighting to better the daily existence of the Palestinian population and improve the provision of health care to the innocent civilians suffering as a result of the past 2 years of unceasing terrorism. To this end, we have sought time and again to meet with our Palestinian counterparts, to forge a mutual statement condemning terrorism and calling for improved health services, and, most recently, to hold a joint symposium on the improvement of health services for this population. We have been informed by neutral organisations that have tried to assist us in establishing contact that the Palestinian Medical Association has no interest in meeting or working with us on these projects, despite the fact that they are aimed at improving services to the Palestinian population.

Despite this rebuff, the IMA continues to extend humanitarian efforts to improve the lives of innocent Palestinians and ensure that they receive the medical care they need. Many Palestinian patients have been treated in Israeli hospitals, some free of charge, and a number of Palestinian physicians train in Israeli hospitals. As a result of the IMA holding discussions with the Israel Defence Forces' (IDF) coordinator of civilian activities in the West Bank and Gaza, a senior Israeli physician was appointed to liaise between the army and the civilian population and facilitate the provision of medical care (figure).

We are also in contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Physicians for Human Rights. Such efforts go beyond simple exhortations or declarations.

As to Summerfield's suggestion that the IMA be expelled from the WMA: the IMA has, over the years, contributed greatly to the WMA in many capacities. Most recently, we were instrumental in securing the adoption of a WMA Council Resolution on the Assurance of Medical and Health Services during the armed conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. We are certain that an organisation as respected as the WMA will not be influenced by baseless and defamatory accusations, and we therefore reject any intimation that the IMA should or will be ousted from the WMA.

In conclusion, unless Summerfield can provide us with actual proof of the involvement of Israeli doctors in torture, rather than blanket denouncements, the time has long since come for him to cease this harassment. If not, we can only conclude that his agenda in writing voluminous articles condemning Israel is political rather than humanitarian.