Palestinian hospitals in Jerusalem refuse to be 'used to advance normalisation' for Israel

Palestinian hospitals in Jerusalem "will not be used to advance normalisation with Israel", the president of the Eastern Jerusalem Hospitals network, Abdel Qader Husseini, told The New Arab.

Husseini's comments came after four Arab Gulf states pledged US$ 100 million to assist Jerusalem's Palestinian hospitals. This amount is in addition to the previously announced $US 100 million pledge by US president Joe Biden during his latest visit to the country last weekend.

During his visit to Jerusalem on Thursday, Joe Biden announced that the US will commit a sum of $US 100 million to hospitals in eastern Jerusalem.

Later on Saturday, Biden attended an Arab Gulf states summit in Jeddah, at the end of which four Gulf states pledged an additional $US 100 million for Jerusalem's hospitals.

Activists raise Balloons with a Palestinian flag in the sky during Biden’s visit to Augusta Victoria hospital in occupied Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/quE0yLNTFA

— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) July 15, 2022

"This is a very important help to the hospitals that provide essential medical attention to the Palestinian people," stressed Husseini. "There is no political side to this matter, especially that the countries involved don't all have the same stand towards normalisation."

The White House said in a statement that the US part of $US 100 million will be presented to the US Congress for approval. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE had committed US$ 25 million each, the White House statement added. 

The UAE is the only of the four countries to have normalised relations with Israel. While Saudi Arabia has recently opened its airspace for Israeli airliners, Qatar and Kuwait are staunchly opposed to these steps.

A reporter wears a shirt requesting justice for slain Palestinian-American journalist #ShireenAbuAkleh at President Joe Biden’s stop at Augusta Victoria Hospital Friday morning in East Jerusalem. #EndIsraeliApartheid #Gaza #IsraeliCrimes pic.twitter.com/9bBE1eQ4hj

— "Solidarity is a verb" (@SaveSJarrah) July 17, 2022

The four countries and the US aid to Jerusalem's hospitals would be delivered over ten years, according to the White House statement, which didn't provide further details.

The main beneficiary was announced to be the Augusta Victoria hospital, located near the Garden of Olives in Jerusalem. The hospital will receive the US$ 100 million package.

The UAE announced on Sunday that its $US 25 million will be sent to the Islamic Maqased hospital, the largest Palestinian hospital in Jerusalem, serving Palestinians from the city, the occupied West Bank and even the besieged Gaza Strip.

"Part of the sum will be used to develop the hospitals' infrastructure," Husseini noted. "The other part will be used to close the debts accumulated on the Palestinian Health ministry, for the medical transfers from Palestinian public hospitals to our hospitals in Jerusalem."

U.S President Biden in his visit to Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem pledges financial support to lift the hospital out of debt #BideninIsrael pic.twitter.com/rTEHPuZl23

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) July 15, 2022

"Since Biden's visit, we have not been informed of any details about how the money will be delivered, but we hope that the money will be given to the hospitals directly," Husseini further noted.

"In any case, we made it clear to president Biden himself that this help is not a political solution," said Husseini, who met Biden during his visit to Jerusalem for 12 minutes, alongside the directors of the other eastern Jerusalem hospitals.

"We told him very clearly that while this help is very appreciated, our end goal as Palestinians is the end of occupation and not the improvement of life under it," he stressed.