wfn.org | LWF hospital protests East Jerusalem seal-off

[franki@elca.org]

       patients and staff denied access

JERUSALEM/GENEVA, 13 October 2000 (LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation
(LWF)-run hospital in East Jerusalem has protested restrictions that
deny patients and staff access to the hospital, following the Israeli
tightening of the border between the West Bank and Jerusalem.

"Patients scheduled for clinic and surgery at the LWF hospital have not
been able to come to the hospital," said Craig Kippels, representative
of the LWF Department for World Service in Jerusalem. 

All of the Augusta Victoria Hospital staff had their permits to enter
Jerusalem cancelled on October 10. The hospital has 160 Palestinian
physicians, nurses, technicians and other workers, all but about 30 of
who are from the West Bank and therefore need permits to enter
Jerusalem. The hospital administration has managed to secure only 50
permits but the "Israelis have not yet given any indication that this
will change," according to Kippels. 

Preparations are being made to receive emergency cases in the hospital
today, Friday, October 13. The past two Fridays have been very busy at
Augusta Victoria Hospital. The hospital has had to deal with increased
emergency cases following violence that begins after prayers at Al-Aqsa
mosque.

AVH is the designated Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) hospital for Palestinian
refugees and the Palestinian Authority. "Only two children were able to
make it to hospital for surgery" on October 10, according to the LWF
representative. In addition it is the only pediatric dialysis center for
the West Bank. "It is critical that the dialysis patients get to the
hospital. We do not know if other patients have tried to get to Augusta
Victoria Hospital and have suffered because they have not been able to
get treated," he added.

Kippels expressed hope that the strong diplomatic efforts to bring
Israel and Palestine to the negotiating table again will lead to some
real progress.

LWF general secretary, Dr. Ishmael Noko wrote a letter to Israeli
authorities on October 2 protesting the use of the AVH premises as a
vantage point to fire upon Palestinian protestors. 

(The LWF is a global communion of 131 member churches in 72 countries
representing over 59 million of the world's 63 million Lutherans. Its
highest decision making body is the Assembly, held normally every six
years. Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council
which meets annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat
is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material
presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its
various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

*       *       *
LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
PO Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Editor (English): Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
Tel: (41.22) 791.63.54
Fax: (41.22) 791.66.30
http://www.lutheranworld.org/