Hospital fires radiologist over alleged antisemitic comments accusing Israel of ‘cannibalism’
Phoenix Children’s Hospital has fired a pediatric radiologist after she made comments on social media equating Israel’s treatment of Palestinians with cannibalism.
Fidaa Wishah, MD, originally shared her post on Facebook May 26. In it, she accused the country of having a “thirst to kill” Palestinian children.
“A state based on atrocity, inhumanity, racism and cannibalism never last long! Hey #israel…your end is coming sooner than you think,” the children’s doc shared.
After an uproar in response to the post, her employer has now ended their relationship, the Jewish News Syndicate reported June 24.
“All children in the care of Phoenix Children’s receive hope, healing and the best possible healthcare, regardless of race, color, disability, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or national origin,” the hospital said in a statement to the news website. “After a thorough review of the facts related to this matter, this individual is no longer providing care at Phoenix Children’s.”
The hospital has removed Wishah’s profile from its website, while her LinkedIn page lists her most recent role as pediatric radiology fellow at Stanford University, specializing in advanced MRI and fetal imaging.
Meanwhile, the organization CAIR-AZ and three private law firms have agreed to represent the radiologist, accusing Phoenix Children's of wrongful termination. Wishah was born and raised in Gaza, the group noted, and has witnessed family and friends affected by the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“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 antisemitic rather than what she has been known as her entire career, a civil rights advocate,” the group wrote. “PCH’s decision to terminate Dr. Wishah is shameful and an attack on freedom of speech for all Americans,” the group added later.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.