Israel will help solve the financial problems of a Jerusalem hospital that serves Palestinians.
By: United with Israel Staff
Israel is examining ways to financially save a Palestinian hospital in Jerusalem, which is facing significant monetary difficulties.
Israeli Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is studying ways to help the Al-Quds Maternity Hospital, which is in danger of being closed due to a municipal tax debt of NIS 1 million ($270,000), a debt it has accumulated since 2010, Israel’s Walla! News reported Thursday.
Litzman is expected to instruct his ministry to examine how to help the maternity hospital in Kfar Akab in the eastern portion of Jerusalem.
In addition to providing maternity services, the hospital provides services such as intensive care, surgery and around-the-clock emergency medical services. According to the hospital’s administrative director Hilmi Barak, about 600 births take place at the hospital annually, along with other patients who arrive in urgent cases.
Member of Knesset (MK) Yehuda Glick, who initiated the petition to Litzman state that “the closure of the hospital means abandoning a population of 100,000 residents of Jerusalem.”
Glick has been the target of Palestinian terror. A vocal advocate of Jewish rights on the Temple Mount, he narrowly survived an assassination attempt by a Palestinian terrorist in October 2014. Glick was shot and gravely wounded, but eventually recovered. The terrorist was shot dead by Israeli forces a day later.
While Arabs receive services at all Israeli hospitals, al-Quds is open to Arabs only.
The hospital thanked Litzman and stated that they hope that his personal intervention will “lead to a solution to the absurd situation and will help develop the hospital and the medical services that we provide to 100,000 Jerusalemites.”
Israel regularly offers medical assistance, know-how and expertise to Palestinian medical services and patients, in many cases free of charge.