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Semper Floreat was invited to attend the screening of the Oscar-winning documentary on May 12th ‘No Other Land’ held by the Towards International Medical Equity Club (TIME).
Following the screening of the film, a Q&A session took place with Dr Bushra Othman and Dr Ahmad Abou Sweid. Dr Bushra had risked their life to volunteer by serving a medical mission in Gaza to provide medical services. Since the screening, Dr Abou-Sweid has completed a medical mission to Gaza.
Both doctors are affiliated with the Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association (PANZMA).
I do not intend this article to be a review of the documentary ‘No Other Land’; I do encourage you to watch the film yourself. The events of the film will be mentioned throughout the rest of the article. This article will primarily focus on the commentary and lived experiences of Dr Othman and Dr Abou-Sweid.
Established in 2005, TIME promotes itself as a platform for the establishment of “equitable healthcare in Australia and abroad”. Some of the events that TIME runs are information seminars, birthing kit packing, and raising money for international healthcare.
The event began around 6:30pm as people began to filter into a moderately sized lecture theatre on campus. Outside the door, a table was covered in bottles filled with flowers, postcards featuring people protesting genocide throughout history, as well as watermelon-themed hair ties and earrings.
A sign sat at the front of the table that read “All proceeds go to PANZMA.”
I was told by Thea, the Executive Officer of TIME, that as well as the proceeds from the table, the ticket sales from the event would also go towards PANZMA. She noted that “well over $1000” had been raised through ticket sales.
Slightly further from the entrance was another table with an array of food that included a type of flatbread with carrot and cucumber sticks with tzatziki, which is a yogurt dish and hummus.
Beginning around 7:00pm, attendees were ushered into the lecture theatre as the documentary screening began. A quick headcount of the room revealed around 80-90 people in attendance.
If you haven’t watched No Other Land, I would highly recommend that you do so. It was shot in the West Bank between 2019 and 2023 before the latest assault on Gaza took place.
It is all the more important to watch since the latest genocide currently taking place in Gaza. The film itself follows a Palestinian activist who is resisting the displacement of his people and the Israeli army’s occupation of their lands.
At the conclusion of the film the shooting of an unarmed Palestinian by an Israeli settler is aired; as the screen went black, the room stilled. One man, a few rows in front of me, began to clap, and he was subsequently joined by the rest of the audience.
The remainder of the evening was spent with both Doctors answering questions from the audience. Dr Abou-Sweid had joined the audience in person, and Dr Bushra had joined online.
My observation of the audience revealed that the makeup of the attendees was overwhelmingly comprised of medical students who had a keen interest in the values of TIME. That being the propagation of medical equity.
Dr Abou-Sweid began the post-documentary discussion stating that he was Palestinian and that he was troubled by the international developments regarding the politicisation of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He said, “it’s not an issue of politics, it’s an issue of basic humanity.”
As a representative from PANZMA, he also noted that their belief was that Palestinians have a fundamental right to medical aid. This is why he has since been on a medical mission to assist Palestinians in Gaza.
Dr Bushra made some general comments on the film, stating that the film did not sugarcoat the issues facing Palestinians. She said, “we are witnessing an annihilation of people.” As of May 12th, 66 days had passed without humanitarian supplies being brought into Gaza. Dr Bushra was concerned that on an international level there was not enough being done to compel Israel to stop the blockade of supplies.
A concern throughout the room was that since basic supplies were not being let through the Israel/Gaza border, it would make it significantly more difficult for personnel to be let through too.
If you wish to continue reading the Questions and Answers from Dr Bushra and Dr Abou-Sweid, please follow this QR code to read the rest online.
Throughout the next part of the article, I present the questions and answers as a non-verbatim summary of what was asked and told.
Question: Does being a doctor make it easier in being able to get across the Israel/Gaza border?
Answer (Dr Abou-Sweid): It doesn’t. And being of Palestinian origin actually makes it more challenging. Far more qualified and experienced doctors than myself have been denied entry, presumably for no other reason than these highly skilled medical professionals’ ability to help people. Answer (Dr Abou-Sweid): In terms of the process of being able to get into Gaza it’s really quite challenging. Your ability to be able to get into Gaza is dictated by an Israeli organisation that tries to make it as hard as possible for you to be able to get in. Within hours of your planned entry, you can be denied. With no appeal process, you are left with no choice but to fly back home to Australia.
Additionally, you are limited to what you are able to bring across the border; I was told by a colleague from a previous mission that he was unable to bring dates across the border because they were considered too nutritional.
Answer (Dr Bushra): There really is no rhyme or reason for who Israel will allow, approve, or deny entry to Gaza. There are limited people who are able to enter Gaza every week. There is a significant portion of people who are denied entry; more so if it is your second or third medical mission into Gaza.
It was very difficult for me to consider what to take into Gaza with me. I was limited to $280 United States Dollars’ Worth of items for a two-week visit, which doesn’t go far. One kilogram of tomatoes can cost up to $38 in Gaza.
Question: Are all the people who go into Gaza medical professionals and affiliated with PANZMA?
Answer (Dr Bushra): Almost all the people who are going into Gaza with PANZMA have done their surgical exams and who have completed their specialisation.
PANZMA itself is typically sending in monthly missions into Gaza with anywhere between two to four people; noting that not all those people will end up being allowed into Gaza.
Question: Given Israel’s announcement regarding the restrictions on medical professions, what response is PANZMA taking?
Answer (Dr Bushra): There are two main things that can be done at the moment through PANZMA and while on the ground in Gaza. The first is to be able to support those on the ground in Gaza with the technical skills of medical professionals. Secondly, is to be able to provide moral support to people who are experiencing this “genocide, ethnic cleansing… and war crimes.”
While you are over in Gaza, another one of the key roles is that you are bearing witness to the war crimes, and part of your role is to report those things when you are back in Australia.
Question: How have you dealt with problems from universities?
Answer (Dr Bushra): Language is very important; it is not against the law for us, as everyday citizens, to critique the state of Israel and what it’s doing. It is important for us to clearly understand who the perpetrator of war crimes in Gaza is.
At an international level we need to be prepared to sacrifice more. Time, money, effort, or your job. There is already such a big community of people internationally who care and are fighting for Palestinians. “Never feel like you should be doing things on your own.”
Be cautious of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the potential for antagonism it may cause. The systems can be used against us. The federal government’s antisemitism inquiry is part of that shift of systems being used against us. Once again, critiquing the state of Israel is not antisemitic.
Question: How is the main mission for PANZMA going; and how can we help support them?
Answer (Dr Bushra): One of the main missions is to be physically there in Gaza and to support the people there with our medical abilities. However, the overall main mission to stop the ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza.
Some of the most important work that you can do when getting back from Gaza is to tell your story, explain what you have seen over there and raise awareness in your own communities about what is happening there.
There are countless admissions in the hospitals in Gaza. When you are on your mission in Gaza, there are already a lot of medical professionals there on the ground, and you miss out on a lot of what is happening outside the walls of the hospital. Part of your role is to amplify the voices of the doctors currently in Gaza.
Question (asked by an American national): Considering that my home country is arming Israel; have you found any particular tactic helpful to get people to listen or get people to act in a way to create practical action from them?
Answer (Dr Abou-Sweid): “It is tough not to succumb to advocacy fatigue.” Eventually if enough people join in, other people on the outside who are not Palestinians will say it’s not just people who ‘look like that’ but instead a larger international community and then they won’t be afraid to speak up.
Answer (Dr Bushra): The hardest people to get to support are people who are apathetic. Most people are generally sympathetic to what is happening in Gaza at the moment. People who are pro-Zionist have already made up their minds and there really is no point in arguing with them about why they should care.
The best way to get people more involved is to have conversations with everyone that you know about the experiences that you have had in Gaza. You then want to get people to take an action after becoming aware. This could be inviting people to a webinar, a film screening, to donate. Focus on the community that you interact the most with; wear a keffiyeh, a pin, something obvious so that you can strike up a conversation.
This wrapped up the final part of the evening.
As everyone was leaving, I had a final chat with Thea, who had some concluding remarks:
“I’m a Jewish American and I stand in solidarity with Palestine.”
“Standing in solidarity with Palestine does not make you anti-Semitic.”
The weekend after the screening of the film was the Nakba rally at King George Square, which audience attendees were encouraged to attend.
If you do feel like making a contribution to PANZMA and their medical missions you are able to make a donation to their cause through their website.
Written by Samuel Wong
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