It really pisses me off to hear allegations that Israel doesn’t do enough to provide emergency rescue services, especially considering the Canadian and worldwide campaigns against Magen David Adom. And especially when I read things like this:
The event featured guest speaker Sarah Kronis, who has worked as a volunteer with Magen David Adom for the past five years. Kronis, 24, described her experiences helping patients, and assisting medical staff aboard the ambulances. She also noted the changes that have taken place since the latest intifidah began in September 2000.
For example, ambulance staff are now clad in bullet-proof vests and a staff member always stays behind to guard the ambulance at the scene of an incident. Over the past two years, almost 100 of the 550 Magen David Adom ambulances have been destroyed, stolen or repainted as Red Crescent ambulances (which may be used to carry terrorists and explosives).
“They’re at a point where they really need ambulances,” said Kronis. During her discussion, she noted that her friend’s ambulance had been set on fire.
The next time I hear that it was the Israelis who were preventing ambulances from reaching injured people, I’m going to ask those making the allegations exactly how many Red Crescent ambulances were stolen, repainted, and used to transport explosives by the IDF.
So you’re saying that the IDF hasn’t been shooting at, blocking, and preventing ambulances from helping those injured by its fire in the West Bank and Gaza – as reported by numerous credible media outlets and human rights groups?