Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Israel is saving Palestinian Lives. Again

From the Palestinian Children's Relief fund

"On June 25, ten-year-old Shehad Baghouth was sent by the PCRF to Assaf Harofeh for right orbitotomy with debulking and biopsy of the large orbit mass, which was noted to be severely fibrotic (scarred) by Dr. Morris E. Hartstein, Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at the Herzliya Medical Center. The PCRF covered the hospital fees and Dr. Hartstein donated his care. The girl and her mother were also housed by Dr Ramzi Azbarga, first year resident in Ophthalmology at Assaf Harofeh before her surgery. This child had been seen by many PCRF missions and it was not clear if her problem was due to a tumor or not. She will have follow-up care in the coming weeks"

So yes, an Israeli doctor donated his skills to help a little girl from Gaza. Will the Presbyterians ever hear about this? Will this ever be publicized in the mainstream media? Not likely, but its an everyday occurrence in Israel, the "apartheid state".

"Save a Childs Heart" a remarkable organization based in Israel. From their mission statement:

Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) is an Israeli-based international humanitarian project, whose mission is to improve the quality of pediatric cardiac care for children from developing countries who suffer from heart disease and to create centers of competence in these countries. SACH is totally dedicated to the idea that every child deserves the best medical treatment available, regardless of the child's nationality, religion, color, gender or financial situation.

SACH is motivated by the age-old Jewish tradition of Tikkun Olam – repairing the world. By mending the hearts of children, regardless of their origin, SACH is contributing to a better and more peaceful future for all of our children.

Since 1995, Save a Child's Heart has treated more than 2,800 children from over 42 countries. Almost half of them are from the Palestinian territories, the Mid East and North Africa. The organization has also provided post-graduate training in pediatric cardiac care for Palestinian physicians in pediatric cardiology, anesthesiology and prenatal diagnosis.

Saving Palestinian children. Training Palestinian doctors. This is a significant part of Israel's story. If the Presbyterian Commissioners sitting in judgement in Pittsburgh knew the truth beyond the lies they've been spoon fed, perhaps we could expect a different result this week. But as long as they quote the discredited Goldstone report while murmuring about Justice and responsibility, they've lost any credibility they might have had. In the end, divestment reflects on their own hypocrisy, and not on Israel.

2 comments:

Gary Fouse said...

Another group affiliated with this organization is One New Heart, headed by Hank Dannecker and his wife, who are American Christian missionaries. Working with Wolfson Hospital, they arrange for Palestinian children with congenital heart defects to be given free surgery with the Israeli doctors working pro-bono.

They are changing perceptions about Jews and Christians among Palestinians one family at a time.

Dusty said...

Thanks, Gary. These stories need to be told.