"Racism and incitement": The deputy mayor's infuriating response to the Rambam storm

Deputy Mayor of Haifa, Facher Biadsa, responded today (Monday) to the public outcry surrounding testimonies from families of wounded soldiers regarding abuse and neglect by Arab staff at Rambam Hospital, and in an infuriating manner, chose to defend the medical teams, labeling the allegations against them as "racism".

"I condemn any manifestation of racism and incitement against medical staff, and I support the responsible and sane position of hospital administrations and the medical teams themselves. We must strengthen the voices that seek to preserve the shared life and the delicate fabric of trust and relationships between Jewish and Arab staff members, and between them and the patients – Jews and Arabs alike," wrote Biadsa in his response.

Furthermore, the deputy mayor continued to argue against the testimonies and declared: "We must not allow short-term political interests to harm a system that we all depend on. The Arabic language is not a threat."

As recalled, Yehoshua Shani, father of Captain Ori Shani (may God avenge his blood) and uncle of Eitan, who is hospitalized at Rambam Hospital after being wounded in Lebanon, claimed yesterday in an interview with Tal Meir that there was disgraceful treatment towards his nephew in the intensive care unit:

"The entire staff in the intensive care unit were Arabic speakers. From the moment they started their shift, they did not allow family members to be with Eitan. His brother, who arrived there, managed to get in by hook or by crook, and he saw 4 nurses busy on TikTok while Eitan was pleading for a glass of water."

Shortly after the publication of the testimonies, Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered "to urgently investigate the serious allegations of inappropriate behavior by Rambam Hospital employees towards wounded IDF soldiers hospitalized in the hospital."

According to his office, "The Defense Minister instructed to investigate in particular the claims regarding the manner of treatment of the wounded soldiers and the attitude shown towards them and their families, and to ensure that if the claims are found to be true and serious acts were committed, the necessary steps will be taken against those responsible and lessons will be learned so that such incidents do not recur."