Israeli and Arab doctors are working side-by-side to save lives

As the crisis in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, doctors and paramedics from both sides are uniting and calling for peace.

Medics from Jordan’s 'Red Crescent' and Israel’s equivalent, 'Magen David Adom'.

Medics from Jordan’s 'Red Crescent' and Israel’s equivalent, 'Magen David Adom'.

Frontline medics in Jordan and Israel are putting aside their political and religious differences and are working together to save lives.

Uri Shacham is a paramedic and head of 'Magen David Adom' (MDA), Israel's Red Cross. He has seen the cruel and bloody side of war, and spent many years treating those injured after an attack.

Mr Shacham says he doesn't care what role a patient has played in the conflict or which side they were fighting for.

"Once they are in the ambulance they have one thing they are concerned about and that is the patient. There are no political minds in the ambulance. There are no arguements. There's only one thing and that is saving the lives of the people," he says.

Mr Shacham works with both Palestinian and Jordanian counterparts, even though the lives they are trying to save together can stem from fighting between their people.

"We support each other. We help each other in times of crisis. And I think this should this should set an example to our nations' leaders, " he said.

The Jordanians lend their expertise in the areas of mass shelter and dealing with large numbers of refugees, while the Israelis are better equipped to treat victims of battle.

Dr Mohammed Al-Hadid is the president of the Jordanian 'Red Crescent', he works closely with Uri Shacham and his team.
A medic from MDA with Dr Mohammed Al-Hadid
m MDA with Dr Mohammed Al-Hadid
"We can work together. It’s better for the region itself. We have to become competitive and look at other countries that come together that come together and cross borders without passports and so on. But we are neighbours and we fight each other. Even Arabs fight each other,“ Dr Al-Hadid said.

Dr Al-Hadid was also instrumental in getting Israel's MDA admitted into the International Red Cross in 2006.

Most recently, the two organisations collaborated to transport Gaza rocket victims to Turkey for medical treatment. Now, the two medical and humanitarian leaders are sharing their experiences with Arabs and Jews living in Australia.

"I'm an Arab, I'm a Muslim, but we're not all terrorists. We are not hoping to change the world to make it an evil place. On the contrary,"  said Mr Al-Hadid.

It's a view echoed by Uri Shacham, who says their close alliance challenges stereotype about the region.

"I have a different experience, me and Dr Al Hadid we are colleagues and friends. It might change people's ideas about what things [are] like in the Middle East, and this is why we are in Australia,” he said

Dr Al Hadid said that he’s often told that the problem is too big and that an individual can’t make a difference. It’s a sentiment that he strongly disagrees with. 

"It is important to change the world and make it a better plac,e and I think Albert Einstein once said, 'the evil people are not only the people who do evil, evil people are those who see evil and don’t do anything about it'. So, yes, we see evil, we are not trying to bring evil. We want to bring a message of love and peace," he said.


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3 min read

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By Antoinette Lattouf


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