The following is an interview with Dr. Karameh Hawash-Kuemmerle, a pediatric neurologist in Boston, Massachusetts, and Dr. Nidal Jboor, an internist in Dearborn, Michigan, who co-founded of Doctors Against Genocide (DAG).

What was the impetus for forming Doctors Against Genocide?

“In pursuit of peace, the Palestinians co-founders of DAG, Dr. Nidal Jboor and Dr. Karameh Hawash, who attended the same medical school in Jordan, confronted despair and feared we were witnesses to the genocide of our own people in our native land. The language of dehumanization, the normalization of the violence against Palestinians in their native homeland, the ghettoization, the frequent pogroms, the segregation, and the apartheid system imposed on the Palestinians by Israel raised the alarms for us a few years back starting in 2021 and led to a journey of discovery of what makes a genocide happen. Although we discovered that it is possible to predict a genocide by identifying its different stages, we also found that preventing it from happening raises unsurmountable challenges despite the presence of international laws meant to put a swift end to a genocide once it is identified. This led to the creation of Doctors Against Genocide as an organization aiming to fill the gap between the oath to do no harm that doctors pledge and their inability to prevent the harm from being perpetrated. Doctors Against Genocide is driven by global concern over injustices, wars, racism, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocides, with a focus on Palestine.

Dr. Jboor and Dr. Hawash are acutely conscious of how injustice deteriorates both physical and mental health. We successfully launched the organization, garnering the support of thousands and uniting the medical community against atrocities. The warm reception from healthcare professionals reaffirmed our belief that the medical field is inherently committed to enhancing life for all. "Never again for everyone" emerged as a guiding principle, advocating the extension of universal values to all communities and races.”

Why is it important to........

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