Israeli and Palestinian emergency response teams regularly work together toward the ultimate goal — saving human lives.
Israeli Emergency Services and the Palestinian Civil Defense Forces (PCD) held a joint drill last week, an event which left an Israeli Fire Brigade Commander “deeply impressed by the commitment and the professionalism of the Palestinian Emergency Services.”
Israeli and Palestinian emergency response teams regularly work together to save lives in danger. For this precise reason, Israelis and Palestinians participate in joint-drills which enhance their skills and during which they learn from one another to improve their response to real time events.
During the drill, the teams arrived at a scene that simulated a car accident with multiple injuries. The drill contained capsized vehicles and dummies that simulated the injured.
Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA), the Palestinian Red Crescent, fire fighting personnel from both sides and other security forces participated in the exercise.
The drill was divided into three parts with each team taking a turn running through the simulation, after which both teams worked together. At the end of each stage, the observing team would give out instructions and pointers on how to improve in the future.
Head of the PCD forces in Jenin, Colonel Abd al-Latif abu Amsha, stressed that the objective of the drill was to reinforce the cooperation between the Israeli and Palestinian civil defense forces.
Lieutenant Colonel Samir Kayuf, head of Jenin District Coordination and Liaison (DCL) added that there is continuous coordination between Israeli and Palestinian forces on such matters, and that joint workshops such as these often take place in order to improve the response for real time events.
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the IDF unit responsible for implementing government policy in Judea and Samaria and vis-à-vis the Gaza Strip, explained that Israelis and Palestinians share many roads in Judea and Samaria and cooperation is imperative during the vast amount of accidents that take place.
The need for rapid response on the ground is paramount, COGAT stressed.
Israeli Fire Chief Ido Peretz, head of the Samaria Regional Council Fire Brigade, said towards the end of the exercise that he was very impressed by the joint work during the simulation and has high regard for the professionalism, commitment and motivation of the Palestinian team. He added that he “prays and hopes that this becomes a tradition.”
By: United with Israel Staff