THE WASHINGTON POST had a great story of Muslim-Jewish cooperation at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.1
The article, by WashPost Jerusalem bureau chief Steve Hendrix tells how Muslim and Jewish patients are cared for equally by Muslim and Jewish medical staff.
Then, SHIR NOSATZKI, “A JEWISH HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST,” recounted a day in March when Israelis went to their balconies at 6 p.m. to applaud health-care workers, then, later that evening, the news reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had labeled Arab Israeli members of parliament “terror supporters.
WHAT HAS ONE GOT TO DO WITH THE OTHER?
The medics are NOT politicians. As with most Muslims and Jews, they just want to live their lives in peace.
ON THE OTHER HAND, the politicians from the Joint List are promoting destruction of Israel and the expulsion of Jews from the area.
If the “bureau chief” cannot see the difference, then he either is anti-Israel or his editors control his content. (Having been a newspaper reporter, I know that can happen. I can see someone adding the Nosatzki quote “for balance.”)
Of what value is the Nosatzki quote? How does it add to the article?
Nor, really, is a Muslim doctor’s remarks about the road by his brother's house in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina. According to Dr. Fadi Kharouf, who Hendrix writes “is a Palestinian Muslim,” he “sleeps on a sofa by the living room window, because that’s where the cell signal is strongest in this marginalized part of the city. “I know this street would be paved if it was not in an Arab neighborhood,” he said, pointing down at the rutted dirt lane. (Never mind Hendrix’ editorializing — marginalized part of the city.)
Elsewhere in the same article, Hendrix writes that Kharouf, was born in Israel and is a citizen.
So what is the good doctor? An Israeli Muslim or a Muslim from the PLO-controlled area?
Hendrix fails to tell the readers where Dr. Kharouf studied medicine.
Cell phone capabilities are in the hands of private enterprise in Israel. As with all other commercial enterprises, it is “follow the money.” If the residents of “East” Jerusalem want better cell phone coverage, they can demand it from the cell phone providers.
- As an aside. Between 1949 and 1967, Israel controlled the western part of Jerusalem, while Jordan took the eastern part, including the old walled city containing important Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious sites.2
Apparently rutted dirt roads were fine when Jordan controlled the area.
Although technically under Israeli control, east Jerusalem, in part due to its harboring of terrorists, has been allowed to flounder. Recently, however, east Jerusalem residents have requested, and received, increased police presence to reduce the amount of Muslim-on-Muslim crime. As Israel expands control over the eastern part of Jerusalem, the area will see improved services; this already is occurring with garbage collection.
The sad thing is that this peaceful cooperation exists primarily in the hospital, where medical staff put their profession above politics and where patients are grateful for medical attention from any source. Will it continue outside the hospital’s walls?
Hendrix quotes Julie Benbenishty who has her doubts. For a research paper, she once surveyed dozens of ultra-orthodox patients to see whether their experience in the hospital had changed their view of the Arab-Jewish schism once they got out.
The answer was largely no.
This scrivener’s opinion: Ms. Benbenishty likely would have gotten a similar answer if she asked the ultra-Orthodox patients if their attitude would be changed if they were treated by non-observant Jewish doctor. With the “ultra-orthodox” is is not a matter of religion as much as it is a matter of how the religion is practiced: their way is the only way. (To be fair, there are many older Jews who immigrated from Muslim-dominated lands that, recalling their treatment in their former countries, don’t trust any Arab, regardless of the Arab’s religion.)
Although he had to work at it, Hendrix did manage to sneak in an inappropriate and unwarranted comment about the Muslims in the Knesset — would ANY other country allow people who vow to over-throw the county in their ruling body? Even “The Squad” in the U.S. does not actively support overthrowing the U.S. government (just those people with whom they disagree).
Now if Hendrix and his editors could just decide if Dr. Kharouf is an Israeli Muslim or a Muslim from the PLO-controlled areas.
Was the WashPost ever a reliable newspaper?
Sources
1. WashPost: https://tinyurl.com/y9fo35zj
2. East Jerusalem: https://tinyurl.com/y7v2cayu
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