They want to silence witnesses and bury the evidence: British-Palestinian surgeon on Europe entry ban

By Burak Bir and Zuhal Demirci

LONDON (AA) – British-Palestinian surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta has said the ban imposed on his entry into Europe is part of an attempt to “silence the witnesses” and “bury the evidence” of the atrocities Israel is committing in Gaza.

In an interview with Anadolu, Abu Sitta, who worked in Gaza and recently became the rector of Glasgow University, reiterated that the decision was the work of “criminals who are complicit in a crime.”

He said it was part of Israel’s bid to cover up the “genocide” it is carrying out in Gaza with the complicity of Western powers, including the US, UK, France and Germany.

Authorities in Germany had stopped Abu Sitta from entering the country in April to speak at a pro-Palestine event in Berlin, where he planned to talk about his experiences in the Gaza, where he worked for more than a month during Israel’s deadly ongoing offensive.

He was later invited to speak at an event in the French Senate but was also denied entry to France at the airport in Paris, where he was informed that he was facing a Schengen-wide ban introduced by Germany for one year.

The Netherlands, which is in the Schengen area, has also banned Abu Sitta from entering the country.

Abu Sitta told Anadolu that German authorities never told him that they were imposing a wider ban on his movement in Europe.

“The German authorities did not inform me. They actually told me that I’m banned from Germany for a month only, and only Germany. That is the document they gave me and my lawyer,” he said.

The reason for these restrictions is because “they want to make sure that I do not speak in any European country,” the doctor said, adding that he has challenged the decision in German courts.

“They do that because that’s the job of criminals who are complicit in a crime. When you’re complicit in a crime, what you do is you silence the witnesses and you bury the evidence,” he added.

- ‘Israelis continuing their genocide’ with Western complicity

Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its assault on Gaza, where it has now killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians and injured over 78,500, while displacing millions more and leaving them facing famine and acute shortages of medical aid and other essentials.

Israeli attacks have also laid waste to large swaths of the besieged enclave, devastating everything from housing to medical facilities, educational institutes, and all sorts of civic infrastructure.

On the current situation in Gaza, Abu Sitta said the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital had to be abandoned recently, leaving the European Hospital as the last functioning medical facility.

He reiterated that there is nowhere safe in Gaza, as “even those areas the Israelis are saying are safe are being bombed today.”

“Humanitarian organizations are trying to take their teams out. There is no aid anymore going in because Israeli tanks are inside Rafah crossing,” he said.

“The Israelis are continuing with their genocide with the complicity of the US, UK, France, Germany and all these countries. They can stop this war. They can stop this genocide if they want, but they do not want that.”