Baroness Tonge fired from UK party post for seeking truth

London and Gaza, (Pal Telegraph) - The dismissal of Baroness Jenny Tonge from her post as health spokesperson for the British Liberal Democrat party discourages freedom of expression and the search for truth, says the editorial team of the Palestine Telegraph.

Tonge was fired after calling in the Jewish Chronicle for an independent inquiry to disprove accusations of organ theft by the Israeli earthquake-relief team in Haiti. Concerns about possible organ theft by Israeli medical-relief workers were aired by a Jewish columnist for the Palestine Telegraph, Stephen Lendman. The columnist reiterated previous, widely covered charges of organ theft from Palestinian and other patients in Israel, and reported charges aired in several media reports and a YouTube video that the same crime was occurring in Haiti. Tonge, who is a member of the Board of Patrons for the Palestine Telegraph, told the Jewish Chronicle that "to prevent allegations such as these...(from) going any further, the IDF and the Israeli Medical Association should establish an independent inquiry immediately to clear the names of the team in Haiti."

"Our columnists speak only for themselves, not for the views of the editorial staff or its Board of Patrons," the Palestine Telegraph editorial team said in a statement. "In addition, Baroness Tonge was clearly not making any accusations herself, but rather, calling for an investigation that would dispel the cloud of suspicion. We would think Israel and its supporters would welcome an opportunity to clear the state's name."

The team added that it is worth mentioning that charges of previous organ theft by Israeli physicians have been widely reported, and in December 2009, Israeli officials confirmed that forensic scientists in the 1990s took organs from Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers without permission from the families. According to the Guardian Newspaper, "...in the 1990s, specialists at Abu Kabir harvested skin, corneas, heart valves and bones from the bodies of Israeli soldiers, Israeli citizens, Palestinians and foreign workers, often without permission from relatives. The Israeli military confirmed to the Channel 2 TV programme that the practice took place, but added: 'This activity ended a decade ago and does not happen any longer.'" On Jan. 15 of this year, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that, "The Israel Defense Forces' aid mission to Haiti left Israel overnight (Jan. 14) with equipment for setting up an emergency field hospital. Around 220 soldiers and officers (were also included) in the delegation...."

Tonge's dismissal came after a long campaign against her and other politicians who call for justice and freedom for Palestinians.