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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Life under occupation Home page  back Print  Send To friend 16-year old Palestinian in very critical condition delayed for hours on his way to Hadassah hospital Moran Barir May 24, 2013 https://www.facebook.com/moranbarir/posts/10151402406156906 translation Ronit Lentin News flash, of the sort you would not hear in the Israeli news. This morning around 7, a boy of 16 was run over. He is critical, with internal head bleed. Why won`t you hear about it? Of course, the boy is Palestinian, from the Burin village, south of Nablus. And what is another reason you would not hear about it? because the story of the treatment he received is shameful and arouses a strong wish to stop existing. The accident happened in Beita junction (also south of Nablus). The boy had stopped attending school because his father died a few months ago of diabetes and he had to finance the family. On the way to work he was run over by a local Jewish driver (in other words, a settler) and was taken to Rafidia hospital in Nablus. As mentioned above, he is in a very critical condition. The hospital, like the rest of the Palestinian health system, cannot deal with his treatment. And the boy, as mentioned above, has internal head bleeding, which means immediate risk to his life. The doctors understood immediately he had to be sent for treatment in Israel. This was when a shocking bureaucratic chain began to receive a permit to transfer the boy to Israel for treatment in order to save his life (!!) Firstly you have to go to the `civilian administration` just to get a permit to get out of the West Bank. And then the Israeli hospital has to agree to admit him, and then there is a wait for all the forms allowing an Israeli ambulance to receive him via a Palestinian ambulance which will bring him to the checkpoint. And the boy is still in Rafidia, bleeding himself to death. Around noon the administration approved. In the afternoon Hadassah hospital consented to admit him. But so far all the forms allowing the f---ing ambulance exchange have not yet been signed. And the boy is still in Rafidia, bleeding himself to death. Two Palestinians active with human rights organisations have worked for him the whole day, and I have been talking to one of them throughout the day, who told me the story. While I am shocked and upset by the story, my friend tells me on the phone that we should eb thankful the permit was granted. They both ran around with this case the whole day and did not believe they would get the permit. If, god forbid, it had been the Jewish driver, or his 16 year old son, who was injured, they would have taken him to the best place he could receive treatment, they would probably have sent a helicopter to take him. But in our places Palestinians are not considered equal human beings in the eyes of the law and the systems, at least not as equal as Jews, so of course even in urgent cases, they are treated accordingly. I hope and pray to the goddesses that he is on his way to Hadassah, that he survives and receives the right treatment and wish I will be able to visit him tomorrow and find him alive. bz Links to the latest articles in this section Occupation forces injure mourners following funeral of slain infant Mohammad Tamimi Nabi Saleh village assaulted - toddler shot in the head died in hospital Palestinians in the snow: thrown from home into the snow, throw snowballs and get arrested