By Aryeh Savir
JERUSALEM – “It is the moral duty of the Jewish people to oppose the crimes against humanity occurring in China” said Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and Chair of the Liberal Lobby, MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud). MK Feiglin made this statement during a special session of the Liberal Lobby in the Israeli parliament on Monday (Feb. 7) dedicated to identifying and showing solidarity with the Falun Gong practitioners who are victims of the Chinese regime’s persecution. According to Feiglin, Falun Gong practitioners are incarcerated in prison camps, tortured, and their organs are forcefully harvested. The session was attended by MK Hilik Bar of Labor, MK Nissin Zeev of Shas, and MK Boaz Toporovsky from Yesh Atid.
An art exhibit called ‘Zhen Shan Ren’, meaning ‘Truth, Compassion and Forbearance’, the principles of Falun Gon, was presented during the session. The paintings by Falun Gong practitioners depict their experiences and the feelings of the victims of the violence by the Chinese communist regime towards an estimated the 100 million Falun Gong practitioners. Other paintings depicted the beauty of the ancient mind-body “Falun Gong” spiritual practice. This art exhibit has been displayed at 800 locations in 50 countries over the past years, including the Australian parliament, the Czech parliament, the UK parliament, the US House of Representatives, and in cultural centers and galleries around the world.
During the session, Sara (Shiping Lu), a victim who has managed to escape from China after being incarcerated and tortured, gave her testimony in tears. She described the difficult ordeals she has been through during her two years of incarceration. Among other experiences, she described being arrested four times, being detained in isolation, tortured with electric batons, her hands tied behind her back and being hung from a window. “What is happening there must be stopped, it is a disaster for the Chinese people, it’s a crime,” she said.
An eye-opening aspect was exposed by prof. Jacob (Jay) Lavee, head of the heart transplant unit in Sheba medical center. He brought the testimony of a doctor who worked in organ harvesting from executed prisoners for the Chinese regime. The doctor, Wang Guoqi, who testified before a committee at the US Congress, provided horrifying details from executions he took part in. The doctor testified that the “donor, after his kidneys, skin, and corneas were harvested, was thrown, while still alive, into a plastic body bag and dumped in the incinerator. The onsite commander of the execution, the doctor testified, told the guard: “save the bullet, he won’t survive anyway.” Prof. Lavee said: “The Israeli transplant law stopped the flow of Israeli patients to China, and the funding of the illegal transplants there, but the Israeli Knesset must call upon other parliaments around the world to join the fight to stop this crime against humanity happening in China, that is sponsored by the regime.”
David Kilgour, former Canadian Secretary of State and Nobel Prize nominee for his research on the persecution against Falun Gong, said that Israel is a leading country in its legislative fight to stop the horrendous phenomena of forced organ harvesting. Kilgour called the Israeli Knesset to broaden the scope of laws that assist the victims, like legislating a law that allows Falun Gong refugees to gain refuge and assistance in Israel.
Author and journalist Ethan Gutmann who has been investing the persecution against Falun Gong and has published several books on the topic said in the session that China’s international economic activity should be limited. He also called on Israel and other countries to act against pharmaceutical companies that conduct clinical transplantation trials in China. According to Gutmann, these companies contribute to financing the illegal transplants in that country.
This session in the Knesset was part of a series of events held under the banner “Israel Identifies with the Victims of Falun Gong”, including an event in Beit Berl college, a special meeting with Druze elders in Daliyat El Carmel, an event at Tel Aviv University, meetings with representatives of Christian churches in the Old City in Jerusalem, and a concluding event in the Kibbutzim College in Tel Aviv.
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Aryeh Savir is a staff writer for the Tazpit News Agency in Israel. He may be contacted via en@tazpit.org.il
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Charles Liu sent the following message to San Diego Jewish World:
(In reference to: https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2014/02/20/knesset-liberals-express-support-falun-gong/)
Dear Mr. Savir:
While China’s human rights record should be examined, I would like to urge you to look into all the facts of the case regarding the organ harvesting allegation made by the religious sect Falun Gong that was promoted by David Kilgour.
In my opinion Falun Gong’s actions not only discredited their own cause, they also detracted from honest examination of China’s problems. Falun Gong’s indictment muddles the rational discussion of issues such as Chinese society’s moral, ethical standards on dignity and treatment of the condemned.
It is in this spirit I would like to bring to your attention some contrarian facts surrounding Falun Gong’s PR activity:
– US State Department’s undercover investigation found Falun Gong’s Sujiatun allegation not credible. [1]
– A US Congressional brief critical of China questioned the veracity of Falun Gong’s claim of genocide and credibility of Kilgour/Matas report. [2]
– Independent investigation by long time Chinese dissident Harry Wu found Falun Gong’s witness unverifiable. Wu later revealed the political undercurrent in the matter. [3]
– The Ottawa Citizen published a report on the veracity of Falun Gong’s organ harvesting allegation, and credibility of the Kilgour report. [4]
– The hospital Falun Gong accused is partly owned by a Malaysian health care company and subject to oversight beyond Chinese authority. Malay officials have documented prior year visit, and the facility has been open to public for years. [5]
– The gory photo admitted as evidence by Mr. Kilgour is not evidence of vivisection. Specifically, photo of Mr. Wang Bin. A pathologist review contradicted Falun Gong’s claim. [6] Even according to Falun Gong’s own evidence, an autopsy was performed as part of Mr. Wang’s murder investigation held by local authority. [7] Another photo that is widely mis-used by Falun Gong is of Mr. Liu Yufeng, it too does not prove vivisection.
In reality these photos are medical in nature, and are notevidence of atrocity. For example Falun Gong used a photo of breast cancer to support their “sexual torture” allegation. This story ran for two years before a physician blogger noticed it. [8]
In conclusion, writing an allegory of ‘Schindler’s List’ may be emotionally satiafying, but is not the way to examine China’s human rights record. If we can not be precise with our accusation, only resort of nefarious indictment – why should anyone take the issue seriously?
Sincerely,
Charles Liu
Taiwanese-American community activist
Seattle, WA
USA
cc Mr. Harrison, Prof. Pines
References:
1) http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2007/90133.htm
“In April 2006 and thereafter, overseas Falun Gong groups claimed that a hospital in Sujiatun, Shenyang, was the site of a “concentration camp” and of mass organ harvesting, including from live prisoners. In response to the allegations, the Government opened the facility in question to diplomatic observers and foreign journalists. Observers found nothing inconsistent with the operation of a normal hospital.”
http://congressionalresearch.com/RL33437/document.php (section CRS-7)
2) ‘The Collateral of Suppression’, a report written for Senator Dianne Feinstein, member of US Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC), where congressional researchers Emma Ashburn and Thomas Lum were quoted.
3) http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20060806_1.htm
http://www.facts.org.cn/Recommendations/200711/t68651.htm
4) http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/observer/story.html?id=2c15d2f0-f0ab-4da9-991a-23e4094de949&p=3 (page 3, 4)
5) http://web.archive.org/web/20060630021746/http://crc.gov.my/clinicalTrial/documents/Proposal/TCM_Stroke%20TrialProtocol%20synopsis.pdf (page 3)
6) Review by Dr. Friedlander of Kansas City University School of Medicine, Pathology Dept. The photo exhibited ‘Y’ incisions in the neck and baseball stitch sutures, which are typical of autopsy. The fact organ removal by medical examiner during autopsy is routine.
7) http://clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2000/11/16/6164.html
8) Review of misused clinical photo by Dr. Ramana: http://rambodoc.wordpress.com/2007/09/17/is-the-falun-gong-going-wrong
Suprise! Knesset support Falun Gong and its leader Master Li Hongzhi who exculpated Hilter from killing Jews in WWⅡ！
The following is Master Li’s assertion in Falun Gong (aka Falun Dafa):
It’s God that told Hitler to kill so many people (the Jews)
FEMALE COMMENTATOR: In his Zhuan Falun, he claimed that Yue Fei, no matter however strong he could be, could not save the Song Dynasty, because he acted against the heavenly will. Li Hongzhi does not only comment on histories of remote past, here is a recording.
Audio of Li Hongzhi: The Rape of Nanking, horrific, 300 thousand people. What are the Xinxing (mind-nature) of these 300 thousand people, whom you should ask, do you know what that was? I tell you, some people, how should I say it, whatever you tell them, he will not believe. What did your 300 thousand account to? How many died in the two atomic bombs? How many died in the wars in history? How many perished in World War II? How many did Hitler kill? These things I can tell you, I can summarily tell you, ah, I can tell you in summary, were brought by the changes in the heavenly phenomenon, brought by the heavenly phenomena in the whole Universe. Everything has its cause and effects.
Excellent article and a very wise decision on the part of Knesset liberals.