An Arizona doctor was fired from her job at a children's hospital last week after accusing Israel of "cannibalism" on social media.
Pediatric Radiologist Dr. Fidaa Wishah was fired from Phoenix Children's Hospital over a May 26 Facebook post that resurfaced in a screenshot shared by the account @StopAntisemites last Monday. Wishah, who emigrated to the U.S. from Gaza, predicted the "collapse" of Israel while accusing the Jewish state of harboring a "thirst to kill" Palestinian children.
"We will expose the #massacre and #geoncide you #zionists are proud of," Wishah wrote in the Facebook post. "We will uncover your thirst to kill our Palestinian children."
"We sense your fear .. The fear of your collapse," she added. "A state based on atrocity, inhumanity, racism and cannibalism never lasts long! Hey #israel ... your end is coming sooner than you think."
Phoenix Children's Hospital replied to the tweet by commenting that Wishah was "no longer providing care at Phoenix Children's" following "a thorough review of the facts."
After a thorough review of the facts related to this matter, this individual is no longer providing care at Phoenix Children’s. (2 of 2)
— Phoenix Children's (@PhxChildrens) June 23, 2021
Newsweek reached out to Phoenix Children's Hospital for additional comment.
Wishah's comment about a "thirst to kill our Palestinian children" and the allegation of cannibalism are reminiscent of a key component of antisemitism that emerged in the Middle Ages and endured until the time of Nazi Germany and beyond. The "blood libel" was a baseless and false conspiracy theory claiming that Jewish people murdered Christian children and consumed their blood.
Wishah responded to her firing by suing the hospital for wrongful termination, according to The Arizona Republic. She is reportedly being represented in court by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Arizona (CAIR-AZ) and multiple private law firms.
"Her post on her personal Facebook page, while critical of the Israeli government, has intentionally been taken out of context to portray Dr. Wishah as anti-Semitic rather than what she has been known as her entire career, a civil rights advocate," CAIR-AZ Executive Director Azza Abuseif told the paper in a statement.
"Despite caring for thousands of children, many of whom are Jewish, she has never been accused of discriminating against any of her patients or colleagues," Abuseif added.
At least 259 Palestinians, including 65 children, and at least nine Israelis, including two children, were killed during the latest conflict from May 10 until a ceasefire was called on May 21, according to The Associated Press.
A video posted to social media apparently captures Wishah commenting on the backlash to her Facebook post after being temporarily suspended by the hospital. She can be seen thanking her supporters while complaining of "censorship in a country that claims freedom of speech."
"When it comes to Palestine and Israel, we're definitely censored," she says in the video. "Today I met with HR and they said I'm temporarily suspended because they are having a lot of outside pressure, a lot of emails, Instagram hashtags about me from Zionists and Israelis who have concerns about me treating their kids differently. False claims."
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