Usamah “Sam” Husseini

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012, 8:00am to 11:00am

The Carol Chomsky Memorial Fund, in conjunction with Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, are proud to present: "Eyes in Gaza: What Did I See, What Can You do?" featuring Dr. Mads Gilbert Dr. Gilbert will address the US role in Israel's "Operation Cast Lead," the use of illegal weapons on a civilian population; the ethics of weapons' sales to countries that have used or tested weapons illegally; the aftermath of Cast Lead and the continuing siege and blockade of the Gaza Strip 3 years on. It will include details of Dr. Gilbert's January 2012 visit to Gaza 3 this past January, and information on the recent International Criminal Court's (ICC's) decision not to prosecute the Israeli government or military for war crimes carried out against thousands of Gazans, their homes, businesses and land during the three week illegal assault on the Gaza Strip. Dr. Mads Gilbert will also look at the broader, regional context of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle within the "Arab Spring."

Mads Gilbert is a renowned Norwegian Physician long known for his studies on children and infants in time of war. He received his PhD at the University of Iowa, is a specialist in anesthesiology and a leader of the Emergency Medicine Department at the University of Tromso in Norway since 1995. In addition to his research and practice at Tromso hospital in Norway, Dr. Gilbert co-founded NORWAC, a Norwegian-Palestinian humanitarian aid organization. He worked in an underground Palestinian refugee camp hospital in Beirut during the 1982 Israeli invasion and bombardment of Lebanon and again in Beirut during the Summer 2006 Israeli war against Lebanon. He and his colleague, Dr. Erik Fosse, were two of only a small handful of westerners in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead from Dec. 27th 2008 to January 18th, 2009. Both testified as expert witnesses at subsequent Human Rights Committee Sessions held at the United Nations in Geneva after the attack.The press conference is open to world media. A Lecture will take place from 3:00-5:00pm in the ICC Auditorium, at Georgetown University followed by a reception and book signing in the CCAS Boardroom on Wednesday afternoon.