Dr. Adnan Al-Bursh
Former King’s fellow Dr. Adnan Al-Bursh, a Palestinian orthopaedic surgeon working as the head of Orthopaedic Surgery at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, was murdered by Israeli Occupation Forces, a fact that King’s College London has yet to recognise. A report published by Sky News on the 14th of November has exposed the extent of the brutality that he endured at the hands of occupation forces, which now more than ever reinvigorates our demand that the University condemns the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Dr. Al-Bursh was deliberately targeted by the regime as a medical professional who put his life on the line to save the lives of countless others, where he was taken to a prison where he was the victim of extreme torture and sexual abuse, which ultimately lead to his death. Prisoners held with Dr. Al-Bursh have testified to the circumstances of his murder, where the torture was so horrific he was unable to walk and was left for dead in the middle of the courtyard by Israeli prison guards. This story is heartbreaking, yet unsurprising as the inhumane abuse of Palestinian prisoners has been a trademark practice of apartheid forces since the inception of the Israeli state.
What is even more discouraging is that Dr. Al-Bursh’s alma mater played a role in his death by actively profiting off of the ongoing annihilation of his people and staunchly defending its commitment to Israeli institutions. In KCL’s Vision 2029, the university contends that, “the ethos of King’s is to try to make a better world, putting the needs of others first beyond what might be expected or contracted,” a notion that is quite frankly laughable considering management’s unwillingness to do the minimum in the face of mass atrocities and pressure from its students and staff to live up to its stated philanthropic goals. Dr. Al-Bursh lived up to this vision, constantly putting others above himself in a time of crisis, staying in the middle of an active war zone to save the lives of strangers when he could have fled with his family to safety.
Dr. Al-Bursh was a celebrated and respected man both within Gaza and around the world, recognised for his selfless contributions to his people expecting nothing in return. He committed his life to securing the health and safety of his people, a privilege that millions take for granted. He was let down by this university, and it is abhorrent that King’s College has yet to even acknowledge his death. The failure to extend even the most basic recognition of humanity is more than indicative of this university’s prioritisation of its bottom line over the well-being of people.
KCL Stands 4 Justice re-emphasises its months-long call for the condemnation of Israel’s systematic campaign of mass displacement and ethnic cleansing and that University management along with the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine (FOLSOM) commit to engaging with and implementing the framework of King’s contribution to the rebuilding of Gaza’s education sector.
For months, King’s has refused to communicate with the Emergency Committee of Universities in Gaza, composed of education administrators from the universities of Gaza who have laid out the specific demands and resources their institutions need in order to survive the genocide and recover after it.
Although this action is far too little far too late and does not absolve the University of its responsibility to end its complicity in the genocide or live up to its commitments to “mak[ing] a better world,” this is the first step of many the University can begin to take in a direction of meaningful change.
