Magen David Adom, the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross, will provide six new ambulances to the Palestinian Authority as part of a deal that will allow the Israeli group to join the International Red Cross, according to a report on the Israeli Ynet News service.
The ambulances will bear the Red Crescent symbol and Israeli vehicle license plates. According to Israeli sources cited by Ynet, they will be allowed to cross IDF checkpoints with a minimum security check, provided that the paramedic teams are on a pre-approved list registered by the Red Cross and that the ambulance carries a seriously ill or wounded person, as listed in a pre-approved list of medical conditions.
Two more ambulances will be provided by to the Red Crescent to evacuate injured people from east
"It was agreed that we will help the Palestinians to lobby the Israeli government for their humanitarian needs, " said Dr. Noam Yifrach, chairman of MDA’s executive committee. "The Palestinians asked us to help convince the Israeli authorities to perform only minimum security checks at the crossings."
For the past five months, a hotline has been operating between MDA’s regional managers and their Palestinian counterparts. When Palestinians encounter a medical problem or a problem at the checkpoints related to treating ill or injured people, they call on their Israeli counterparts.
Dr. Yifrach added: "If we have to fight the soldiers, we will, but we will not put up with a woman who has to deliver a baby at the checkpoint or with an injured person being left to die there. An 18-year-old soldier cannot always appropriately judge the situation to determine whether one should cross over or not."
