On November 27th, 2023, the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association (MCVMA) issued a statement on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict (see images below). While they expressed concern for the “ongoing pain and loss of life in Israel and Palestine” and opposition to the “recent rise in islamophobia and antisemitism” the group also perpetuated false claims of “ethnic cleansing and attempted genocide of Palestinians.”

This is the first statement made by the MCVMA since this conflict began on October 7th, 2023 when Hamas, the Gaza-based Islamic terrorist organization, carried out an unprovoked massacre in southern Israel, murdering roughly 1,200 innocent civilians and taking hundreds more hostage. Nowhere in their statement does the MCVMA mention Hamas, let alone condemn this organization in the largest mass murder of Jews since the end of the Holocaust.

The claim that Israel is attempting genocide is both entirely unfounded and egregiously false. Genocide is defined as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation”. Genocide is a legal term and in no way do Israeli policies and actions meet this legal threshold. On the other hand, the terrorist organization Hamas, openly calls for the genocide of the Jewish people in its charter and acted on this goal on October 7th. The sensationalist use of the terms genocide in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not only inaccurate and misleading, but it serves to demonize the State of Israel and to diminish recognized acts of genocide.

The charge of “ethnic cleansing” suggests that Israel is systematically working to rid its territory of Palestinians, including Israeli Arab citizens, through force or intimidation tactics in order to create a homogeneous society. This is a fundamentally inaccurate accusation. Within Israel, Arab citizens are entitled to the full rights of citizenship, with safeguards for their equal treatment. Israeli laws and democratic institutions, including the independent courts and robust free press, uphold and speak out for these rights.

In the final part of their statement, the MCVMA urges their community to take action by contacting elected representatives to support a lasting ceasefire and humanitarian aid for Gazans. Any call for ceasefire that does not mention concurrent demands for Hamas to release the hostages should be widely condemned.

A QR code is provided which brings you to a list of “Organizations leading for justice, liberation, and peace-building in Palestine/Israel”. This list is extremely one sided and includes organization that have openly perpetuated antisemitism both on and off campus in the US. The few Jewish/Israeli organizations present include those widely condemned by the Jewish community as tokenized voices that do not represent the vast majority of the Jewish people (examples include Jewish Voice for Peace, Rabbis for ceasefire). With regards to veterinary organizations listed, MCVMA has included the name of one organization (Sulala Animal Rescue) which is helping displaced animals in the Gaza strip but have failed to include any Israel-based organizations like the Israel Companion Animal Veterinary Association who is providing assistance to animals that survived the October 7th massacre. Even the resources for the animals are biased.

The MCVMA’s mission is to “lead veterinary medicine towards the racial and ethnic diversity, equity, and inclusivity that our profession needs to serve a multicultural society.” The MCVMA’s statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict is in stark contrast to their supposed mission. The MCVMA demonstrates a lack of deep understanding of the complexities of the Israel-Palestine conflict and by perpetuating false narratives and communicating with clear bias, they have isolated the Jewish veterinary community members from their multicultural mission. This statement is irresponsible and goes against the very morals that MCVMA supposedly wants to uphold.

Jews represent only 0.2% of the population. If the MCVMA truly wants to be a representative organization, we would suggest including Jewish voices on their board.

Sincerely,

The undersigned: