Health Minister Moshe Arbel today (Monday) signed a letter of appointment for the committee to examine the involvement of the medical community in the East Yemen and Balkan children's affair.
The committee will examine the involvement of the medical community in the Yemeni, Middle Eastern and Balkan children's affair between 1948-1954, in accordance with the years that were investigated and examined by state investigation committees and committees of inquiry that examined the affair over the years.
The committee was established in response to criticism of the draft report written by an internal team of the Ministry of Health, which was prepared by a student at the Ministry of Health and prepared by the then Commissioner for the Prevention of Racism and Prof. Itamar Grotto, the Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Health at the time.
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Professor Shifra Schwartz, who was appointed to review the draft report, conducted an evaluation of the draft, in which she pointed out methodological flaws in its editing and research methods.
In addition, the review uncovered factual gaps that made it difficult to complete the work on the aforementioned draft. In light of this criticism, the then Director General of the Ministry decided to reject the draft report and the recommendations and conclusions set forth therein.
Therefore, as stated, a committee was appointed today by the Minister of Health to examine the involvement of the medical community in this affair. The Ministry of Health will provide the committee with all the information it needs to examine the matter.
Committee members:
Judge (Retired) Ms. Shulamit Dotan - Chair
Prof. Shlomo Mor Yosef
Prof. Yaakov Korach, Director of the Department of Gynecological Oncology, Sheba-Tel Hashomer Medical Center.
The Minister of Health wrote today to MK Yoni Mashriqi that, in furtherance of his request, he found it appropriate to establish the committee to examine the issue of the children of Yemen, the Middle East and the Balkans.
""On May 16, 2023, you requested that I examine the establishment of a ministerial committee in the Ministry of Health to examine the draft report in question and its conclusions. I would like to inform you that after examining the complex issue in its various layers and aspects, I appointed a committee today.
""The committee, headed by Judge (retired) Shulamit Dotan, and with the participation of Prof. Shlomo Mor Yosef and Prof. Yaakov Korach, to examine the involvement of the medical community in the Yemeni, Middle Eastern and Balkan children's affair between the years 1948-1954," Arbel wrote, "This is in accordance with the periods that were investigated and examined by the review committees and state investigation committees that examined the affair over the years. The Yemeni, Middle Eastern and Balkan children's affair is an extremely sensitive and painful issue that has accompanied Israeli society for many years.".
He said, "This affair raises complex claims and questions regarding the involvement of the medical community in the affair. After examining the issue, in light of the work of the internal team edited by Prof. Grotto and the questions that arose regarding the tools at the disposal of the report's editors, I found it appropriate to establish a committee as stated above to examine the issue.".
He thanked MK Mashriki for his appeal "on this important issue and your great work in our matter for the benefit of all the families and those involved in it.".
