Germany blocks Gaza war surgeon who hailed terrorist behind the murder of ... trends now
A British-Palestinian surgeon who sparked controversy for his comments on the Israel-Palestine conflict said authorities in Germany had refused him entry on Friday, claiming the government was 'silencing a witness to genocide'.
Professor Ghassan Abu Sittah, who received backlash after hailing the mastermind behind the 2018 drive-by killing of Rabi Raziel Shevach as a 'hero', said on Twitter/X he had been 'forcibly prevented' from entering the country to speak at a conference 'about my work in Gaza hospitals'.
He was due to attend 'The Palestine Conference. We will put you on trial', an event calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, allegedly targeted by German pro-Israel organisations in recent weeks, inspiring calls for it to be banned.
The event was abruptly shut down this evening when Berlin police cut off power to the hall where the conference was being held, warning pro-Palestine attendees and speakers 'we will prosecute you' earlier this evening. Police said they had dispatched 930 officers to secure the event.
Abu Sittah became one of the most prominent voices in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave after travelling to Gaza on October 9, two days after the conflict erupted, to attend to the wounded and report on the challenges facing the civilian population.
But the medic has since been put under investigation by the University of Glasgow, where he was recently appointed rector, after UK Lawyers for Israel referred the institution 'offensive social media tweets' shared by Abu Sittah, commenting on the longstanding conflict.
Abu Sittah said authorities in Germany had refused him entry on Friday, claiming the government was 'silencing a witness to genocide'
Police announce the termination of the Palestinian Congress and request all participants to vacate the premises on April 12, 2024 in Berlin, Germany
Intensive security measures were implemented by the police both outside and within the venue hosting the congress
Pro-Palestinian chants echoed through the vicinity as attendees converged for the event
Medical staff and patients in the En-Neccar Hospital in Rafah in Gaza on December 27
Writing on Twitter/X this afternoon, Dr Abu Sittah said: 'Invited to address a conference in Berlin about my work in Gaza hospitals during the present conflict.
'The German government has forcibly prevented me from entering the country[.]
'Silencing a witness to genocide before the ICJ adds to Germany's complicity in the ongoing massacre.'
He followed the post: 'They are accomplaces in the crime and that is what accomplaces do. They burry the evidence and silence the witnesses. They are admitting to the Nicaraguan charges at the ICJ [sic].'
Later on, he claimed he was being made to leave the country, writing: 'Always important to have a good book to read when you're being deported.'
Abu Sittah shared a picture of 'We Are Free to Change the World: Hannah Arendt's Lessons in Love and Disobedience', a book exploring the Jewish philosopher's experience of escaping the Holocaust and influential writings on totalitarianism and political action in the 20th century.
Arendt's philosophical writings - and reporting on the 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem - were controversial among America's Jewish community. She opposed the partition of Palestine and was critical of Zionism, with nuanced and oscillating views on the matter throughout her lifetime.
Since being appointed as rector, 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 tackling all forms of
