Israel admits to organ thefts

[praetor]

http://english.aljazeera.net/Media/Images/AJILogo.jpg

UPDATED ON:
Monday, December 21, 2009
12:40 Mecca time, 09:40 GMT

Israel has admitted that it harvested organs from the dead bodies of Palestinians and Israelis in the 1990s, without permission from their families.

The admission follows the release of an interview with Jehuda Hiss, the former head of Israel's forensic institute, in which he said that workers at the institute had harvested skin, corneas, heart valves and bones from Israelis, Palestinians and foreign workers.

In the interview, which was conducted in 2000 when Hiss was head of Tel Aviv's Abu Kabir forensic institute, he said: "We started to harvest corneas ... Whatever was done was highly informal. No permission was asked from the family."

Nancy Scheper-Hughes, who conducted the interview, told Al Jazeera on Monday that Hiss had said the "body parts were used by hospitals for transplant purposes - cornea transplants. They were sent to public hospitals [for use on citizens].

Guidelines 'not clear'

"And the skin went to a special skin bank, founded by the military, for their uses", such as for burns victims.

The practice is said to have ended in 2000.

The interview was also reported on Israel's Channel 2 television, which quoted an Israeli military statement that said: "This activity ended a decade ago and does not happen any longer."

Israel's health ministry said in the Channel 2 report that at the time the guidelines for transplants "were not clear" and that for the last 10 years "Abu Kabir has been working according to ethics and Jewish law".

Scheper-Hughes, who is a professor of anthropology at the University of California-Berkeley, said that she made the interview public because of the controversy last summer over allegations of organ harvesting made by a Swedish newspaper.

In August the Aftonbladet newspaper ran an article alleging that the Israeli army had stolen body organs from Palestinian men after killing them.

Israel denied the claims, calling them anti-Semitic, and the incident raised tensions when Sweden refused to apologise for the article, saying that press freedom prevented it from intervening.

'Conflict deaths'

Donald Bostrom, the journalist who broke the story in Aftonbladet, told Al Jazeera: "UN staff came to me and said that you have to look into this very serious issue. Palestinian young people were disappearing in the areas and five days later they appear back in the villages with an autopsy done on them against the will of the families.

"We need to know who are the victims. Mothers need to know what happened to their sons."

Bostrom said that there is no proof that people were killed for their organs but that an investigation is needed to find out whether there was a policy in place or if the bodies used were random.

Bostrom added that Hiss is the "main key" to solving such unanswered questions, but that there would also be other people involved who could help uncover the truth.

Scheper-Hughes said that some of the dead Palestinians from whom organs were harvested were killed during military raids.

"Some of the bodies were definitely Palestinians who were killed in conflicts," she told Al Jazeera.

"Their organs were taken without consent of families and were used to serve the needs of the country in terms of hospitals as well as the army's needs."

'Technically illegal'

She said that Hiss told her "that the people who did the harvesting were sent by the military. They were often medical students".

"He did it informally and without permission, and it was technically illegal," she said.

The military establishment gave their "sanction and approval" to the procedures, according to Scheper-Hughes.

During his interview with Scheper-Hughes, Hiss said that the eyelids of bodies were glued shut to prevent the removal of corneas being found out.

Hiss was dismissed as head of Abu Kabir in 2004 over irregularities in the use of organs, but charges against him were eventually dropped. He still holds the position of chief pathologist at the institute.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/12/2009122161551898444.html

[JerseyMike]

It's called recycling..... try to be more green.

[yosi]

://english.aljazeera.net/

is the TV network that have been in all the right places , when the 9/11 events were celebrated in the Gaza strap , which makes you ask yourself: "who do they represent" ?........

they had news before that turned out as a big fata morgana , just an ilusion.

[zukkobaby]

thank you Yosi... consider the source, if you thought Fox News was biased, this is Al Jazeera, they use a Mickey Mouse lookalike to teach kids to hate Israel

[tslvrnyc]

THIS THREAD IS ANTI-SEMETIC!!!!!!!!111

[praetor]

THIS THREAD IS ANTI-SEMETIC!!!!!!!!111

Isn't a anti-semitic thread, is news about the world life, world thought. Is about knowledge, do not distort the issue and not come up with cheap sentimentality.

[yosi]

In the interview, which was conducted in 2000 when Hiss was head of Tel Aviv's Abu Kabir forensic institute, he said: "We started to harvest corneas ... Whatever was done was highly informal. No permission was asked from the family."

Nancy Scheper-Hughes, who conducted the interview, told Al Jazeera on Monday .................

The interview was also reported on Israel's Channel 2 television



the interview was conducted in 2000 but Nancy Scheper-Hughes, who conducted the interview, told Al Jazeera on Monday .................???

the interview was never reported on Israel's Channel 2 television






it is news about the world life, world thought. Is about knowledge





there is a difference between telling news and inventing news.
that's what aljazeera did 8)

[praetor]

In the interview, which was conducted in 2000 when Hiss was head of Tel Aviv's Abu Kabir forensic institute, he said: "We started to harvest corneas ... Whatever was done was highly informal. No permission was asked from the family."

Nancy Scheper-Hughes, who conducted the interview, told Al Jazeera on Monday .................

The interview was also reported on Israel's Channel 2 television



the interview was conducted in 2000 but Nancy Scheper-Hughes, who conducted the interview, told Al Jazeera on Monday .................???

the interview was never reported on Israel's Channel 2 television






it is news about the world life, world thought. Is about knowledge





there is a difference between telling news and inventing news.
that's what aljazeera did 8)


What invention? Just because it wasn't reported on Israel is a lie? In Israel is holy just because the Catholic Church says that Jerusalem is holy land?
For sure the media is censored by the sponsors, some jews, of course.
Bull shit, talking all the time on anti-semitism. This is racism in reverse.

[JerseyMike]

Jews and Muslims both believe in a "God" or "Higher being" showing how ill educated they are therefore they are both equally stupid for fighting over an area of land the same size of New Jersey. Now who really wants to fight over New Jersey, idiots that is who. Done.

[GullyFoyle]

garbage deleted

LOL

And there are people on HA who think Americans are dumb. :roll: :smh

[praetor]

garbage deleted

LOL

And there are people on HA who think Americans are dumb. :roll: :smh

I really don't care what do you think, i do not think all North American are dumb as you sad, don't close your eyes to the world. The world is not just your neighborhood, is far beyond what you saw on tv movies.

[CaptainGeech]

If they are killing people for the organs that is wrong. If they are doing it solely for the money that's wrong. But if they are simply helping people in need (burn victims, heart transplant patients, etc...) then good for them. People should be ashamed for not donating their organs after they die. That is the ultimate form of selfishness IMO.

[El Nino]

The doctor's admitted to this and never got the family's approval for harvesting the victim's organs, for the black market. This is a violation of human rights and those involved should be thrown in jail. And don't use that old, worn out anti-semetism excuse anymore, it doesn't work.

[tslvrnyc]

THIS THREAD IS ANTI-SEMETIC!!!!!!!!111

Isn't a anti-semitic thread, is news about the world life, world thought. Is about knowledge, do not distort the issue and not come up with cheap sentimentality.

It probably wasn't fair to do to you since you're not a native speaker of English, but my post was 100% sarcastic. Often times when one points a finger at Israel they're labeled an anti-semite.

[yosi]

The interview was also reported on Israel's Channel 2 television








What invention? Just because it wasn't reported on Israel is a lie?




according to Aljazeera it WAS reported in Israel , actualy it wasn't , this IS inventing news, isn't it?

[praetor]

The interview was also reported on Israel's Channel 2 television








What invention? Just because it wasn't reported on Israel is a lie?




according to Aljazeera it WAS reported in Israel , actualy it wasn't , this IS inventing news, isn't it?

No, is real, happend,

[CORVETTEDUDE]

Sounds like something the Nazis would have done, in the 30's and 40's.

[Peacetalks]

If they are killing people for the organs that is wrong. If they are doing it solely for the money that's wrong. But if they are simply helping people in need (burn victims, heart transplant patients, etc...) then good for them. People should be ashamed for not donating their organs after they die. That is the ultimate form of selfishness IMO.

They did not have permission from the families of the deceased and that makes it wrong. How hard is that to understand.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/12/21/israel.organs/

[AllanahStarrNYC]

This may be a bit off topic-
but it seems that some people believe that when one criticizes the policies of the goverment of Israel one is anti semetic, which is false.

Ciriticing the actions of a goverment does not make one a hater of a race or religion, or people of a state or country.

[Peacetalks]

This may be a bit off topic-
but it seems that some people believe that when one criticizes the policies of the goverment of Israel one is anti semetic, which is false.

Ciriticing the actions of a goverment does not make one a hater of a race or religion, or people of a state or country.

:claps

[zukkobaby]

Praetor, just because you say it's real, and Al Jazeera says it's real, does not mean it is real. If Al Jazeera told you that Israel is holding Santa and the Easter Bunny hostage would you believe it? Dumb ass!

[fred41]

This may be a bit off topic-
but it seems that some people believe that when one criticizes the policies of the goverment of Israel one is anti semetic, which is false.

Ciriticing the actions of a goverment does not make one a hater of a race or religion, or people of a state or country.

People that criticize the state of Israel are NOT anti semitic.....but when they do it continuously...always focusing on real or imaginary "horrors' perpetrated by that country..all the while ignoring countless similar or greater atrocities committed by countless other countries around them (such as the U.N. does constantly)...then Yes...THAT is anti semitism.

[AllanahStarrNYC]

This may be a bit off topic-
but it seems that some people believe that when one criticizes the policies of the goverment of Israel one is anti semetic, which is false.

Ciriticing the actions of a goverment does not make one a hater of a race or religion, or people of a state or country.

People that criticize the state of Israel are NOT anti semitic.....but when they do it continuously...always focusing on real or imaginary "horrors' perpetrated by that country..all the while ignoring countless similar or greater atrocities committed by countless other countries around them (such as the U.N. does constantly)...then Yes...THAT is anti semitism.



Ok, so you just said that criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic but doing so continuously is? And I am unclear about the part of focusing on 'real horrors'? Why should that not be uncovered if true?

I am sorry but I don't see the logic in that unless you would be advocating the destruction of Israel.

As well, people follow, believe, adhere to conspiracy theories everywhere, not just Israel. This report may well be a conspiracy theory (or not) but there are a million of those everywhere.

Are you also claiming that the UN is anti Semitic?

What really boggles my mind is that when the UN wants to investigate possible war crimes committed in Gaza, an inquiry being led by a Jewish man and that Hamas has not objected to and agreed to, Israel objects and calls it 'bias'.

I think FAR too many people subscribe again to this idea-including the state of Israel- that being critical of Israel policy is being anti Semitic and that is RUBBISH. I am an American citizen and I criticize government policy all the time- in no way does that make anti American or a hater of Americans. I love this country but at times I do disagree with government policy.

What do you define as continuous? If I criticize the continued settlements and Israel's reluctance to cooperate with the UN war crimes investigation, am I an anti Semite?

And believe you me, I am far from one. I lived with an Israeli for almost 18 months and have had my fare share of Jewish and Israeli men in my life.

[El Nino]

Great points, Allanah Starr.

[praetor]

Praetor, just because you say it's real, and Al Jazeera says it's real, does not mean it is real. If Al Jazeera told you that Israel is holding Santa and the Easter Bunny hostage would you believe it? Dumb ass!

May be i'll believe, LOL, but CNN reported the same issue as posted above.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/12/21/israel.organs/

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israel harvested organs from bodies in the 1990s without permission of family members, the former head of a state-run forensic laboratory said in a newly released interview.
...

[praetor]

All press lie?

http://www.roguegovernment.com/Israel_Harvested_Organs_In_The_1990s_From_Palestin ians_Without_Permission/18607/0/12/12/Y/M.html

http://www.daylife.com/article/01pOfLFazF8nh

http://www.sphere.com/world/article/israeli-official-dr-jehuda-hiss-admits-taking-body-parts-without-permission/19289823?icid=mainmaindl1link5http

http://palestinefreevoice.blogspot.com/2009/11/israeli-organ-trafficking-and-theft.html

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=31&sid=1845558

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/1391527.html

http://www.startribune.com/world/79758112.html?page=1&c=y

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/dec/21/israel-admits-taking-organs-without-permission/

[AllanahStarrNYC]

Praetor, just because you say it's real, and Al Jazeera says it's real, does not mean it is real. If Al Jazeera told you that Israel is holding Santa and the Easter Bunny hostage would you believe it? Dumb ass!

May be i'll believe, LOL, but CNN reported the same issue as posted above.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/12/21/israel.organs/

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israel harvested organs from bodies in the 1990s without permission of family members, the former head of a state-run forensic laboratory said in a newly released interview.
...


And note how the Israeli finance minister called the Swedish 'anti semitic'.

That just sickens me because I feel Israeli officials play that card all the time. 'Oh we stole body parts, but if you don't like that we did so, your an anti semite'.

Makes NO SENSE.

[fred41]

This may be a bit off topic-
but it seems that some people believe that when one criticizes the policies of the goverment of Israel one is anti semetic, which is false.

Ciriticing the actions of a goverment does not make one a hater of a race or religion, or people of a state or country.

People that criticize the state of Israel are NOT anti semitic.....but when they do it continuously...always focusing on real or imaginary "horrors' perpetrated by that country..all the while ignoring countless similar or greater atrocities committed by countless other countries around them (such as the U.N. does constantly)...then Yes...THAT is anti semitism.



Ok, so you just said that criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic but doing so continuously is? And I am unclear about the part of focusing on 'real horrors'? Why should that not be uncovered if true?

I am sorry but I don't see the logic in that unless you would be advocating the destruction of Israel.

As well, people follow, believe, adhere to conspiracy theories everywhere, not just Israel. This report may well be a conspiracy theory (or not) but there are a million of those everywhere.

Are you also claiming that the UN is anti Semitic?

What really boggles my mind is that when the UN wants to investigate possible war crimes committed in Gaza, an inquiry being led by a Jewish man and that Hamas has not objected to and agreed to, Israel objects and calls it 'bias'.

I think FAR too many people subscribe again to this idea-including the state of Israel- that being critical of Israel policy is being anti Semitic and that is RUBBISH. I am an American citizen and I criticize government policy all the time- in no way does that make anti American or a hater of Americans. I love this country but at times I do disagree with government policy.

What do you define as continuous? If I criticize the continued settlements and Israel's reluctance to cooperate with the UN war crimes investigation, am I an anti Semite?

And believe you me, I am far from one. I lived with an Israeli for almost 18 months and have had my fare share of Jewish and Israeli men in my life.

If you reread my sentence you will see that I didn't say any of that. I'm not criticizing this thread, Preator or you. I said that it is fine to criticize Israel...but the UN human rights type commissions "of the day" ONLY criticize Israel. they do that while they have monsters like R. Mugabe sitting there...or those bastards from Darfur..or pick a dictator of the month..any dictator...and they wont say peep about it.

...but Israel is full of devils..if it wasn't for them ..there'd be no problems in the middle east...bullshit.

I never even remotely accused you of anti semitism..but you immediately choose to defend yourself by telling me about your Jewish friends. I don't care...I'm not Jewish.

...but yes...the majority of the U.N IS anti-semitic.

[AllanahStarrNYC]

This may be a bit off topic-
but it seems that some people believe that when one criticizes the policies of the goverment of Israel one is anti semetic, which is false.

Ciriticing the actions of a goverment does not make one a hater of a race or religion, or people of a state or country.

People that criticize the state of Israel are NOT anti semitic.....but when they do it continuously...always focusing on real or imaginary "horrors' perpetrated by that country..all the while ignoring countless similar or greater atrocities committed by countless other countries around them (such as the U.N. does constantly)...then Yes...THAT is anti semitism.



Ok, so you just said that criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic but doing so continuously is? And I am unclear about the part of focusing on 'real horrors'? Why should that not be uncovered if true?

I am sorry but I don't see the logic in that unless you would be advocating the destruction of Israel.

As well, people follow, believe, adhere to conspiracy theories everywhere, not just Israel. This report may well be a conspiracy theory (or not) but there are a million of those everywhere.

Are you also claiming that the UN is anti Semitic?

What really boggles my mind is that when the UN wants to investigate possible war crimes committed in Gaza, an inquiry being led by a Jewish man and that Hamas has not objected to and agreed to, Israel objects and calls it 'bias'.

I think FAR too many people subscribe again to this idea-including the state of Israel- that being critical of Israel policy is being anti Semitic and that is RUBBISH. I am an American citizen and I criticize government policy all the time- in no way does that make anti American or a hater of Americans. I love this country but at times I do disagree with government policy.

What do you define as continuous? If I criticize the continued settlements and Israel's reluctance to cooperate with the UN war crimes investigation, am I an anti Semite?

And believe you me, I am far from one. I lived with an Israeli for almost 18 months and have had my fare share of Jewish and Israeli men in my life.

If you reread my sentence you will see that I didn't say any of that. I'm not criticizing this thread, Preator or you. I said that it is fine to criticize Israel...but the UN human rights type commissions "of the day" ONLY criticize Israel. they do that while they have monsters like R. Mugabe sitting there...or those bastards from Darfur..or pick a dictator of the month..any dictator...and they wont say peep about it.

...but Israel is full of devils..if it wasn't for them ..there'd be no problems in the middle east...bullshit.

I never even remotely accused you of anti semitism..but you immediately choose to defend yourself by telling me about your Jewish friends. I don't care...I'm not Jewish.

...but yes...the majority of the U.N IS anti-semitic.

Darling, there is no get upset nor critical.
It's a discussion and I was aking your points that is ALL.

Pointing out my ex-boyfriend being from Israel, was just to prove a point that I am not anti semitic.

[fred41]

This may be a bit off topic-
but it seems that some people believe that when one criticizes the policies of the goverment of Israel one is anti semetic, which is false.

Ciriticing the actions of a goverment does not make one a hater of a race or religion, or people of a state or country.

People that criticize the state of Israel are NOT anti semitic.....but when they do it continuously...always focusing on real or imaginary "horrors' perpetrated by that country..all the while ignoring countless similar or greater atrocities committed by countless other countries around them (such as the U.N. does constantly)...then Yes...THAT is anti semitism.



Ok, so you just said that criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic but doing so continuously is? And I am unclear about the part of focusing on 'real horrors'? Why should that not be uncovered if true?

I am sorry but I don't see the logic in that unless you would be advocating the destruction of Israel.

As well, people follow, believe, adhere to conspiracy theories everywhere, not just Israel. This report may well be a conspiracy theory (or not) but there are a million of those everywhere.

Are you also claiming that the UN is anti Semitic?

What really boggles my mind is that when the UN wants to investigate possible war crimes committed in Gaza, an inquiry being led by a Jewish man and that Hamas has not objected to and agreed to, Israel objects and calls it 'bias'.

I think FAR too many people subscribe again to this idea-including the state of Israel- that being critical of Israel policy is being anti Semitic and that is RUBBISH. I am an American citizen and I criticize government policy all the time- in no way does that make anti American or a hater of Americans. I love this country but at times I do disagree with government policy.

What do you define as continuous? If I criticize the continued settlements and Israel's reluctance to cooperate with the UN war crimes investigation, am I an anti Semite?

And believe you me, I am far from one. I lived with an Israeli for almost 18 months and have had my fare share of Jewish and Israeli men in my life.

If you reread my sentence you will see that I didn't say any of that. I'm not criticizing this thread, Preator or you. I said that it is fine to criticize Israel...but the UN human rights type commissions "of the day" ONLY criticize Israel. they do that while they have monsters like R. Mugabe sitting there...or those bastards from Darfur..or pick a dictator of the month..any dictator...and they wont say peep about it.

...but Israel is full of devils..if it wasn't for them ..there'd be no problems in the middle east...bullshit.

I never even remotely accused you of anti semitism..but you immediately choose to defend yourself by telling me about your Jewish friends. I don't care...I'm not Jewish.

...but yes...the majority of the U.N IS anti-semitic.

Darling, there is no get upset nor critical.
It's a discussion and I was aking your points that is ALL.

Pointing out my ex-boyfriend being from Israel, was just to prove a point that I am not anti semitic.

I really apologize if I came across that way..had a long day...probably feel better after going to Christmas party tonight. Merry Christmas to you Allanah.

[CaptainGeech]

If they are killing people for the organs that is wrong. If they are doing it solely for the money that's wrong. But if they are simply helping people in need (burn victims, heart transplant patients, etc...) then good for them. People should be ashamed for not donating their organs after they die. That is the ultimate form of selfishness IMO.

They did not have permission from the families of the deceased and that makes it wrong. How hard is that to understand.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/12/21/israel.organs/

I get it and that's really fucked up. I just feel its even worse to be so selfish that even in death when it doesn't matter anymore they're not willing to help others. I agree the family should have some input but organs don't last very long after death. You need to harvest them immediately or they die just like the person.

[paulgutierrez]

Those Israelis are sure smart. They musta realized palestinians are just gonna blow themselves up anyway. At least this way Palestinians are doing something positive with their worthless lives before they die.

Go Israel!

[paulgutierrez]

Pointing out my ex-boyfriend being from Israel, was just to prove a point that I am not anti semitic.

Sorry but that really doesnt mean shit. Ive seen black guys with white girlfriends who are racist as fuck towards the men, and white guys who like latinas but hate latinos and latino culture, same with asians, indians, arabs (thats me i like arab girls but i hate arabs), etc.

if anything I would say people who have friends or lovers outside their race tend to use them to tell racial stereotype anectdotes. ex: "i know this *insert race* guy/girl who ... ". Too many people do that shit.

[notdrunk]

And note how the Israeli finance minister called the Swedish 'anti semitic'.

That just sickens me because I feel Israeli officials play that card all the time. 'Oh we stole body parts, but if you don't like that we did so, your an anti semite'.

Makes NO SENSE.

The Finance Minister was talking about an article accusing IDF forces of abducting Palestinian teenagers and killing them for their organs. The writer of the article admitted that he has no proof. The spat caused another individual to release the interview about the harvesting of organs in Israel. The individual admitted that she does not believe the article written by the other person is true.

A number of ethnic groups/peoples play "the card" at times because it is a diversion. Or, the individual accusing the ethnic group/people actually has hate in them or just is straight lying.

[El Nino]

Those Israelis are sure smart. They musta realized palestinians are just gonna blow themselves up anyway. At least this way Palestinians are doing something positive with their worthless lives before they die.

Go Israel!

^ ^ ^
Idiot of Epic Proportions

[CORVETTEDUDE]

I have personally spent a considerable amount of time with German and
Isreali 'special forces' personnel(without revealing actual organizational names). I found them to be very much, the same peaople, phylisophically speaking. The religion has absolutely nothing to do with it! As a retired Navy SEAL, I can tell you, without reservation, the Massad are one of the most ruthless Intell & Special Forces organizations in the world. If they want to disect someones brain, they will disect someones brain!

[BlowjobPenn]

THIS THREAD IS ANTI-SEMETIC!!!!!!!!111

Israel dosen't represent all Jews.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__Txz8R6EHp8/SXDjM3_AgbI/AAAAAAAABoA/wwpX5QncKmc/s400/freepalestine29.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/papa_smurf_23/mikespics/capt_palestinian_protest_2an.jpg

In fact I've met Jews who've said they wish they could pour every ounce of Jewish blood from their body after they took a trip to Israel and saw the treatment of the Palestinians.
http://artintifada.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/orthodox_jews_protest_against_israel_2.jpg

[El Nino]

Gaza Continues To Fall Victim By The IOF’s Use Of DU/EU Weapons

http://www.paltelegraph.com/columnists/peter-eyre/3271-gaza-continues-to-fall-victim-by-the-idfs-use-of-dueu-weapons

[liisawinklergirl]

http://english.aljazeera.net/Media/Images/AJILogo.jpg

UPDATED ON:
Monday, December 21, 2009
12:40 Mecca time, 09:40 GMT

Israel has admitted that it harvested organs from the dead bodies of Palestinians and Israelis in the 1990s, without permission from their families.

The admission follows the release of an interview with Jehuda Hiss, the former head of Israel's forensic institute, in which he said that workers at the institute had harvested skin, corneas, heart valves and bones from Israelis, Palestinians and foreign workers.

In the interview, which was conducted in 2000 when Hiss was head of Tel Aviv's Abu Kabir forensic institute, he said: "We started to harvest corneas ... Whatever was done was highly informal. No permission was asked from the family."

Nancy Scheper-Hughes, who conducted the interview, told Al Jazeera on Monday that Hiss had said the "body parts were used by hospitals for transplant purposes - cornea transplants. They were sent to public hospitals [for use on citizens].

Guidelines 'not clear'

"And the skin went to a special skin bank, founded by the military, for their uses", such as for burns victims.

The practice is said to have ended in 2000.

The interview was also reported on Israel's Channel 2 television, which quoted an Israeli military statement that said: "This activity ended a decade ago and does not happen any longer."

Israel's health ministry said in the Channel 2 report that at the time the guidelines for transplants "were not clear" and that for the last 10 years "Abu Kabir has been working according to ethics and Jewish law".

Scheper-Hughes, who is a professor of anthropology at the University of California-Berkeley, said that she made the interview public because of the controversy last summer over allegations of organ harvesting made by a Swedish newspaper.

In August the Aftonbladet newspaper ran an article alleging that the Israeli army had stolen body organs from Palestinian men after killing them.

Israel denied the claims, calling them anti-Semitic, and the incident raised tensions when Sweden refused to apologise for the article, saying that press freedom prevented it from intervening.

'Conflict deaths'

Donald Bostrom, the journalist who broke the story in Aftonbladet, told Al Jazeera: "UN staff came to me and said that you have to look into this very serious issue. Palestinian young people were disappearing in the areas and five days later they appear back in the villages with an autopsy done on them against the will of the families.

"We need to know who are the victims. Mothers need to know what happened to their sons."

Bostrom said that there is no proof that people were killed for their organs but that an investigation is needed to find out whether there was a policy in place or if the bodies used were random.

Bostrom added that Hiss is the "main key" to solving such unanswered questions, but that there would also be other people involved who could help uncover the truth.

Scheper-Hughes said that some of the dead Palestinians from whom organs were harvested were killed during military raids.

"Some of the bodies were definitely Palestinians who were killed in conflicts," she told Al Jazeera.

"Their organs were taken without consent of families and were used to serve the needs of the country in terms of hospitals as well as the army's needs."

'Technically illegal'

She said that Hiss told her "that the people who did the harvesting were sent by the military. They were often medical students".

"He did it informally and without permission, and it was technically illegal," she said.

The military establishment gave their "sanction and approval" to the procedures, according to Scheper-Hughes.

During his interview with Scheper-Hughes, Hiss said that the eyelids of bodies were glued shut to prevent the removal of corneas being found out.

Hiss was dismissed as head of Abu Kabir in 2004 over irregularities in the use of organs, but charges against him were eventually dropped. He still holds the position of chief pathologist at the institute.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/12/2009122161551898444.html





I AM SO REALLY against this shiteous aspect of human medical intervention especially if the organs were harvested or taken without the consent of the donor or the closest of kin...

In Asia this is very prevalent and I wrote about this somewhere in my blog expressing my passion on this brutal practice....

http://liisawinklergirl.blogspot.com/2008/07/urban-childrens-legend.html

This has to be right up there among the most heinous crime list....

[alyssats]

Salaam and Shalom to all my Arab and Jewish boyfriends!

Love and Peace to all!

kisses! ;)