The Settlement Council released a statement condemning a Magen David Adom decision to remove its celebrated symbol, the Red Magen Adom, from ambulances stationed throughout Yehuda and Shomron – thereby removing the organization’s name from those vehicles, apparently the result of an agreement with the International Red Cross.

It appears that MDA signed an agreement with the International Red Cross (IRC), which demands that the organization refrain from operating “over the Green Line”, a move that has outraged settlement leaders and residents, accusing the nation’s primary emergency medical service organization of delegitimizing the over 250,000 residents of those areas.

In exchange for ceasing operations over the Green Line MDA will be accepted into the organization and enjoy other benefits. The deal went into effect last week and according to reports, it will yield the organization a cool $1.5 million annually as well as an improved image internationally, now a member in good standing in the International Red Cross.

The agreement states that responsibility for pre-hospital care in areas served by the Red Crescent will be carried out by an organization other than MDA. This means the local and regional councils throughout Yehuda and Shomron will have to operate the vehicles, not MDA, a reality that many fear will result in a decline in pre-hospital care to residents of those areas.

It should be pointed out that MDA has been discriminating against the residents of Yehuda and Shomron for years, and despite the fact that the law compels MDA to service those communities in its role as the national EMS provider, unlike communities inside the Green Line, ambulances serving yishuvim have to be purchased and they are not given as is the case inside the Green Line. Funds collected by the “Friends of MDA” around the world are used to purchase ambulances, which then stationed in cities around the country. In Yehuda and Shomron however, the communities have to buy these ambulances from MDA, and only after they are paid for are they stationed in the area. Hence, MDA collects at both ends and many have accused MDA of outright discrimination for decades, but the cries have fallen on deaf ears.

Efrat Mayor Oded Ravivi released a statement, “I would think one would have more pride being affiliated with the Jewish People and the State of Israel, and that we are unashamed of these affiliations”.

In one recent case, a Kiryat Arba ambulance was sent in for routine service and it was returned with the new emblem on the side after the familiar MDA seal was removed from the vehicle in keeping with the new agreement with the IRC.

Danny Dayan, who heads the Settlement Council, sent a directive to security officials in all communities throughout Yehuda and Shomron, calling upon them not to cooperate with MDA and the ongoing effort to change the face of the ambulances serving those areas. There are some 60 ambulances operating throughout Yehuda and Shomron today, all slated to receive the new look, one that no longer identifies them as being affiliated with Magen David Adom. Dayan adds that the move is “entirely politically motivated” and he rejects the MDA decision outright.

It appears that MDA will also be removing its logo from some ambulances serving predominately Arab areas; a move critics explain is an attempt to neutralize accusations that the decision is politically motivated, against the yishuvim. MDA officials reject the criticism, explaining the new system will permit identifying the communities operating the ambulances, rather than MDA. MDA adds the organization operates within the guidelines of the International Red Cross, and reports that it committed to cease operations over the Green Line are simply untrue.

Speaking to Kol Chai Radio, MDA spokesperson Zaki Heller denied the move is a discriminatory one against the yishuvim, explaining included in the decision are also kibbutzim and other periphery communities. He stated the 12 emergency stations located throughout Yehuda and Shomron are not changing, and they remain under the MDA name and logo – insisting the move is nothing to do with the organization’s entry into the IRC as is being reported.

Heller adds that MDA will continue operating and provide pre-hospital healthcare throughout Yehuda and Shomron, both basic and advanced life support units, insisting the change will be made in areas in which ambulances are operated by a local or regional council and not MDA, regardless of the location being on either side of the Green Line.

Heller added that the decision to join the IRC involved government agencies, including the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs. When asked if it is true that the Foreign Ministry shunned the decision, Heller repeatedly evaded giving a direct response, as he did with other difficult questions that accuse the organization of acquiescing to an anti-Israel agenda.

Heller was asked if MDA would comply with a request from Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman to abandon the new policy decision – prompting another indirect response, adding MDA would address such a request if and when it occurs, stressing MDA’s commitment to serve in Ofrah, Gush Etzion, Karnei Shomron and all other yishuvim.

Dayan hopes to turn to Deputy Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman for assistance. In the meantime, the ministry released a statement that the matter is a political one, not connected to health issues, deflecting the matter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

MK (Ichud HaLeumi) Prof. Aryeh Eldad calls the move is an “embarrassing concession to the Arab agenda and if MDA does not reverse its decision, I will begin working to persuade supporters to stop donating to MDA”. MK (Kadima) Otniel Schneller called the MDA policy decision an “unfortunate” move, calling on MDA to forgo membership in the IRC and opt for unity in the Jewish camp.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)