In a response that sparked outrage, Haifa Deputy Mayor Fakher Biadsy responded Monday to the public uproar about accounts from the families of soldiers wounded in combat of alleged mistreatment and neglect by Arab medical staff at Rambam Hospital.

Without conducting an investigation into the veracity of the claims, Biadsy chose to characterize the allegations against the medical staff as “racism.”

“I condemn every expression of racism and incitement against medical staff and support the responsible and sensible position of hospital administrations and the medical teams themselves,” Biadsy wrote. “We must strengthen the voices seeking to preserve coexistence and the delicate fabric of trust and relations between Jewish and Arab staff members, and between them and the patients — Jews and Arabs alike.”

“We must not allow short-term political interests to harm a system on which we all depend. The Arabic language is not a threat.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)