Israeli doctors ordered to treat attackers first if have worst wounds

Israel's Medical Association said Wednesday that under new guidelines doctors at scenes of attack should first treat the person with the worst injuries, including Palestinian suspects.

The decision, by the Medical Association's Ethics Board, triggered an uproar in the country, which saw a three-month wave of violence, with nearly daily attempted stabbing attacks by Palestinians.

Chairman of the Medical Association, Leonid Eidelman, told Army Radio that the Ethics Board decided to cancel a clause in its code of ethics, which stipulated that in case of a Palestinian attack, "the principle of 'charity begins at home' must apply," meaning doctors should first provide medical care to Israeli injuries and only later to suspected Palestinian attackers.

This principle was part of a code of ethics written in 2008 and last updated in 2014.

Under the revised guidelines, doctors should treat patients "based on the concrete conditions existing at the time of the event," with the top urgency given to "those with an immediate risk to their lives that it seems may be saved."

The Israel Today daily reported that the revision was made after Physicians for Human rights, an Israeli rights watchdog, asked the Ethics Board to review its guidelines, saying the current rules violate international law.

Far-right lawmakers reacted to the new guidelines with fury, with former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman urging the officials of the Medical Association to step down "in light of the embarrassing decision they made."

Palestinian media frequently report that Israeli forces prevent medical teams from attending Palestinians who were shot after allegedly perpetrating an attack against Israelis in the West Bank.

The Israeli rights watchdog B'Tselem said Wednesday that it documented at least two cases in which Israeli medical teams treated wounded soldiers without treating Palestinians who were laying on the ground with gunshot wounds.

In one instance, medical teams were allowed to approach the Palestinian only after more than 30 minutes, and the man died shortly later.

Israeli forces are also being increasingly accused by the United Nations and international human rights groups of using excessive force to quell the recent surge in Palestinian attacks, which started in mid-September and shows no signs of abating.

On Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Cécile Pouilly, said that the response from Israeli security forces has resulted in the killing of 117 alleged attackers, protesters and bystanders.

She also noted that at the same time, the "unacceptable" wave of stabbings, shootings and car rammings continue to kill and injure Israelis.

The violence started in East Jerusalem, triggered by increasing visits of far-right Israelis to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a site holy to both Muslims and Jews, and then quickly spread throughout the West Bank, Israel, and the Gaza Strip. Endit