Steve Flatow, whose daughter was killed by Pal. terror and who is the secretary of American Friends of Rabin Medical Center, has a letter in today's NYTimes and I extracted this:
...How is it in the interest of Palestinians to be treated as medically second-class patients by depriving them of the best treatment?
If there is to be coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, what better way to work toward that goal than through the trust created by the bond between doctor, nurse and patient? Given the chance to break down stereotypes held by Palestinians and Israelis about each other, why lose that opportunity?
Stephen M. Flatow
West Orange, N.J.
Quite simple and straightforward.
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7 comments:
Because the Arab leaders don't WANT grassroots trust and understanding between Jews and Arabs. They don't care about their people as individuals any more than did the Communists. It is truly pathetic.
This all would be perfectly possible before the last masacre of Palestinians by Israeli army. Now, the trust and "bonds" have been shaken.
It's like asking to be a friend of a man whose wife you just raped.
Galia--Yeah, I can understand the mixed feelings regarding weak trust ad humanitarian bonds. Sort of like the ones we in Israeli hospitals have felt over the last 15 or so years treating people who were shooting us, stabbing us, and blowing us up.
And sometimes not even metaphorically I have a friend in the ER who gave an injured would-be suicide bomber morphine for his pain, "I'm doing this for him because it's my job, because he is after all a human being. but afterwards you never feel totally ok about it."
Israeli hospitals always lost money on taking care of Palestinians, and they were certainly a ridiculous security risk. But, as Dr. Mickey Weintraub pointed out in an earlier post, there are now 54 Palestinian children not receiving lifesaving hematology treatment, which is a hell of a way to prove an ideologicl point. Maybe their families can console themselves by regarding them as long-term suicide bombers.
The Leninist-fascist principle that the individual is only significant as a member of his class or nationalitiy is vindicated.
Maya, thanks for your work and for your faith. You are certainly doing a great service to your country, to Palestinians and to humanity overall.
Lets pray that this children will be fine and get the treatment wherever they've been transfered to.
In today's J.Post, Dr. Weintraub is quoted as saying that it's impractical for these kids to be sent to Jordan for care as the distance from home would require the parents to stop working entirely for the duration of the treatment. He further notes that the cancer patients could die within a short time of not receiving treatment.
Meanwhile, I do sincerely hope that the kids with the heart problems and the crippling orthopedic and urological conditions that we used to take in from the PA are getting corrective surgery SOMEWHERE. Personally, I never expect that the work we did would "bring peace", but I have no doubt that it was the right thing to do. Surely there is nothing less political than saving the life of a child. I never got anything but gratitude from the families in question, and I never treated them with anything but respect.
In retrospect, many Israelis knew that this was only a "window of opportunity" and that it was likely that Hamas would stop the arrangement. Every child saved is a plus, whatever his political opinions may be when he grows up.
I don't particularly like or dislike words. I call things for what i see them as.
"I can't think of a more deserving group to be massacred than Hamas, with its barbaric stated aim of jewish genocide"
Well here you go. You just admitted to your ill intentions.
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&ar=2700
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