'Racist incitement': Israeli medical groups decry claims of soldier abuse by Rambam's Arab staff

Israeli medical groups, led by the Mersham organization, condemned allegations of soldier abuse by Arab staff at Rambam Health Care Campus as 'racist incitement.' They defended the health system's joint Jewish-Arab work. Professor Hagai Levine called the claims a 'blood libel.' Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered an IDF investigation after a soldier's brother alleged mistreatment. Rambam rejected all claims after its own investigation.

Israeli medical groups, led by the Mersham organization of medical professionals, came out against recent allegations that Arab staff at Rambam Health Care Campus mistreated wounded soldiers, calling the claims 'racist incitement.' Mersham stated that the Israeli health system relies daily on the joint work of doctors, nurses, and medical staff, Jews and Arabs, treating every person regardless of religion, nationality, or political position. The organization said it is possible and necessary to examine concerns about medical treatment, but when public figures join the attack, the damage seeps into the entire system. Professor Hagai Levine, Chairman of the Israel Association of Public Health Physicians, also rejected the public response, saying the plots against Rambam are sabotaging the entire health system. He described the allegations as 'lies born on social media' and a 'dangerous blood libel' aimed at dismantling the only system that still functions as an island of sanity and equality in Israel. The controversy began on Saturday when the brother of one of four soldiers recently wounded in Lebanon claimed the troops were severely mistreated by Rambam's staff during their overnight stay. Rambam stated that after an investigation, it rejected all claims of wrongdoing. Defense Minister Israel Katz called for an IDF investigation into the allegations.