On 18 November 2008, the Independent published a letter co-signed by Arab Media Watch adviser Dr Ghada Karmi, entitled "Shut out by Israel's Gaza blockade".

In the past week, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson has spoken out again about a "whole civilisation destroyed" in Gaza, just as Israel again squeezes the flow of fuel for power stations. To these two latest reminders that Israel is maintaining a state of siege of gaza's 1.5 million people, we would add our own experience.

We are some of the 100 academics and health professionals who were booked to participate in a WHO co-sponsored conference in Gaza, "Seige and Mental Health" two weeks ago. Israel requires those wishing to enter Gaza to apply for permits, and the WHO itself made the applications well in advance. Israel turned them all down en bloc just one week before the conference was due to start, clearly a political decision intended to wreck it. We demonstrated in protest at the Gaza Erez crossing, but to no avail.

Those opposing calls for an academic boycott of Israel regularly cite "academic freedom", yet there has been not a murmur of protest from Israeli universities and medical establishment at this latest violation.

Dr Derek Summerfield (UK)
Dr Ghada Karmi (UK)
Dr Alice Rothchild (USA)
Prof Elsa First (USA
Prof Federico Allodi (Canada)
Dr Alan Meyers (USA)
Dr Ben Alofs (UK)
Dr William Slaughter (USA)
and 22 others
Kings College London

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-child-protection-1023121.html