The Susan G. Komen for the Cure planned a conference on breast cancer in Egypt. Two Israeli women were invited. Egypt and Israel are at peace. Breast cancer, like any health issue, is universal. Shockingly, the two Israelis were disinvited. A representative from Komen received word that Egypts minister of health, Hatem el-Gabali, would bar their entrance into the country and told the Israelis they couldnt come.
At this point, the facts become a bit murky, but the point remains crystal clear. The conference was scheduled from Oct. 21-27, 2009. After the conference started, Komen told the Israelis, You can come, and assured them of their safety. The Israelis were rightly skeptical.
The Egyptian embassy in Washington also issued a statement, saying that the Israelis were never barred from coming. This, too, was stated after the conference began. According to Emily Callahan, Komens vice president of marketing, Egypt blamed low level government officials for erroneously issuing the ban, and Komen blamed lower level staff for communicating it. It was all just a misunderstanding, said Egypt and Komen.
Possibly. But if so, why did Egypt reinvite the Israelis only after the conference began? More to the point, why did Komen not stand by the Israelis in the first place? Do Komen and Arab countries want Israel, or do they not want Israel, at health conferences? We expect more from Komen than from Egypt. The best Komen could do after it told the Israelis they were disinvited was to issue a statement that the conference would go on without them, and that the disinvitation was beyond its control.
This callous and cowardly response did not escape the white-hot outrage of hundreds of Israelis, Jewish women and breast cancer survivors. One wrote, People Hate Jews Even More Than They Hate Cancer.
Thats probably too strong, but Komens coolly neutral response does call into question its judgment. If its raison detre is humanitarian, it should have castigated Egypt when it announced its boycott.
We would not go so far as some critics to suggest that Komen for the Cure should no longer be supported, but censure and deep disappointment are in order.
Meanwhile, Hadassah Lieberman, a global ambassador for Komen, and Nancy Brinker, the founder of Komen, visited an Israeli anti-cancer center after the conference in Egypt. Why didnt an Egyptian breast cancer activist accompany them? That says it all, doesnt it?
