On April 10th, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Israel wrote to Aluf Benn, the editor-in-chief of the Haaretz, to convey the Chinese side’s strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to the Haaretz’s publishing of a piece that smeared and slandered China on the issue of so-called “organ transplantation”. The content of the letter is as follows:

In recent days, a journalist from Haaretz contacted the Chinese Embassy in Israel and informed the embassy that the newspaper was planning to publish a report about “organ transplantation in China” which will be based on a “scientific study”. In response, the Embassy sent a letter to Haaretz, in which it emphasized that the Chinese government has always followed the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) on human organ transplantation, and has further strengthened the administration of organ transplantation in recent years. On 21 March 2007, China’s State Council adopted and enacted the Regulation on Human Organ Transplantation, stipulating that the donation of human organ shall be voluntary and free of any monetary payment or other reward of monetary value, that human organ trafficking shall be prohibited, and that human organs used by medical institutions for transplantation shall be obtained with the written consent of the donors. The transplantation shall also be prohibited if the donors and their next to kin don’t give their consent and if the donated organs fail to meet medical criteria. On 3 December 2014, the Chinese government declared that donations from citizens shall be the only legal source for organ transplantation. China banned transplants of organs donated from executed prisoners on 1 January 2015. In accordance with relevant laws, China launched an organ transplant donation system for citizens to meet medical treatment needs, which has been welcomed by the Chinese people. The progress China made in organ transplantation has also been recognized by the international community. While some anti-China forces fabricate and spread rumors about China’s organ transplantation, their true, malicious intentions are becoming increasingly clear to and rejected by the international community.

In this letter, the Embassy brought to your attention that some countries and anti-China forces have been hyping up lies and distorting facts on organ transplantation to smear China, and the Chinese side firmly opposes such acts. The Embassy also urged Haaretz to view the facts and truth objectively, avoid being misled by false arguments, and refrain from providing a platform for spreading lies and rumors about China.

In disregard of the Embassy’s prior reminding and opposition, Haaretz still published the article, which twisted facts and cooked up lies based on a so-called “study” built upon anti-China propaganda and rumors. The hyped-up issue of “organ transplantation in China” made an abominable influence. The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to such an act.

In the meantime, it is noticed that Haaretz published the Chinese Embassy’s letter presenting facts and solemn representations in a full-text manner, which would help the readers to learn about the truth and come to the correct conclusion. However, this can not neutralize the poisonous influence brought by the big sum of rumors and lies in the article. The Embassy urges Haaretz to take immediate measures to eliminate the negative impact and stop publishing articles that slander China.