Medical treatment in Israel

medical transport for Palestinians in need

Short video about one form of medical help for Arabs from West Bank and Gaza. Started by a brother of Hamas terror victim.

treating heart disease in Israel

Here is some information about treating in Israeli hospitals children from conflict zones, Gaza included. Finally here is a story about

Hamas's leadership seeking medical help from Israelis


Israel, a country with definitely one of the best medical services in the world, engages in many opportunities to treat people from outside of Israel if they are in need and can't get a treatment where they come from. In all developed countries a number of foundations, private funds, state-sponsored programs and volunteer organisations try to help those whose countries/ territories of origin are not able or willing to provide needed medical treatment.
Israel is not different. What is different are the scale of help given (considering size and population of Israel there are significantly more cases when medical help is given on humanitarian ground) and the variety of recipients including many of countries and territories hostile towards Israel. Of course the biggest such recipient is Palestinian Authonomy. Specially the last story shows that even next of kin of people who are self-declared enemies of Israel seek such help. And receive it.

In 2011 over 115,000 Palestinians received medical help in Israel. Is this the way to commit "ethnic cleansing" that anti-Israeli activists in Europe and elswhere (mistakingly called pro-Palestinian ones) accuse Israel of? Rethoric question. But it definitely is a way to build bridges. Even on youtube if you are willing to look for them there is a number of stories when such medical help in emergency started some kind of links between common people on both sides. Or at least helped to ease enmity or lack of understanding, or confronted presumptions. Families of children treated in Israel go back to West Bank or Gaza knowing (even when - for various reasons including personal safety - not admitting) that what they heard from their authorities about Israel and Israelis is just not true. And the lasting peace can be build upon interactions between common people (which is probably one of the reasons why Israel engages on such a scale in this activity).
Yet, if not an average person but brother-in-law of someone in authority, living very comfortably (to say as little as possible) from foreign help paid for with our taxes seeks medical help in country that this authority declares to "wipe of the map" yet denies (as seems to be the case) this treatment to his subjects (as not citizens, the Gazans are never treated as citizens by Hamas) fearing they will discover that there is no devil they constantly hear about but neighbour; common people with the same problems, joys, fears and lives to live; it is an equivalent of, say, Fidel Castro from old USSR time sending his relative for free medical treatment in the US.

There are many people in Israel keen on building some kind of relations, understanding, neighbourly feelings with Palestinians on basis of humanitarian medical help. It is also state's policy. I believe there are many Palestinians who appreciate it and who are aware that better, less hostile relations on ground (no matter what big politics is) are available and long for them. Yet the barrier is constantly being reinforced by Palestinian authorities (both Fatah and Hamas, but Hamas especially). Even when it means abusing sick people and abusing humanitarian aid. Sad!