Hadassah Hospital will reinstate a doctor who was suspended after being accused of praising a Palestinian terrorist suspect who was being treated under his care, following an uproar over apparently exaggerated claims withdraw the disciplinary proceedings.
Dr. Ahmed Mahajaneh, a resident of Hadassah Medical Center Ain Kerem, has protested his innocence since the October 26 incident and is close to a settlement with the hospital that will accept his side of the story, according to a report on Sunday.
The Jerusalem hospital was in the process of sacking Mahajaneh for claims that he gave a plate of sweets to 16-year-old patient Muhammad Abu Qatish, congratulated him and called him a “shaheed” or martyr.
The hospital also accused Mahajaneh of “insulting a police officer”.
The allegations were initially circulated by the right-wing group Betsalmo, which later retracted them and called for Mahajaneh to be reinstated. Media reports initially relied on an apparently fabricated version of events, sparking outrage on social media, with some users threatening the doctor.
According to Israeli officials, 16-year-old Abu Katish seriously wounded an Israeli man in a knife attack on October 22 in the Jewish East Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat Haimivtar. After a brief chase, he was shot by an officer and was hospitalized in critical condition.
According to Mahajaneh, the nafeh and other food served to Abu Qatish were leftovers from meals he ordered to celebrate passing his residency exam, and all patients were treated under a policy of equal treatment, Although he was not going to give it to Abu Qatish. According to Hadassah Zvi, deputy director of medical ethics with the NGO Physicians for Human Rights Israel, while Hadassah technically forbids staff from serving food to outside patients, the rule is rarely enforced.
Mahajaneh said that a police officer guarding Abu Qatish began questioning him about his identity and when he refused to cooperate, another officer began videotaping him.
Example: Nurses at the Hadassah Ein Kerem emergency room, Jerusalem, August 27, 2013. (Jonathan Sindel / Flash90)
Hadassah claimed that Mahajaneh told the officer, “Why are you filming me? Are you an idiot?” However, Mahajaneh claimed that he had actually said, “It is foolish of you to make a film.”
“I meant the act of filming was stupid, not official, which I didn’t know,” Mahajaneh later told The Times of Israel.
Hadassah had said that after a month the purported settlement would seek to swiftly resolve Mahajaneh’s situation through mediation, once it became clear that the allegations were fabricated. The doctor was supported by the Israel Medical Association.
According to the Israel Hayom tabloid, a settlement deal in the works would see the hospital accept Mahajaneh’s side of the story, retract its claims that Mahajaneh admired Abu Qatish, and recognize Mahajaneh’s professionalism and rapport with patients.
This would allow him to continue working at the hospital and count his time toward his residency requirement under suspension.
Ambulances outside the entrance to the emergency room at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, where paramedics brought people injured in a terrorist attack on December 03, 2014. (Noam Ravkin Fenton/FLASH90)
Under the reported deal, Mahajan will agree to abstain from all acts of violence, including terrorism, and accept that the hospital needs to thoroughly investigate the allegations against him.
In November, Mahajaneh told TOI that he had never supported terrorism in his life and that “terrorists deserve punishment.”
As Israel Hayom reports, mediation efforts are being stymied by a dispute over Hadassah’s demand that Mahajaneh apologize for her confrontation with the police officers.
In addition to allegedly insulting the officer, Hadassah faulted Mahajaneh for not identifying himself after being informed of his obligation to do so under Israeli law.
Hadassah told Israel Hayom that mediation efforts were ongoing, and indicated that the report was planted as part of an effort to hush up Mahajaneh’s case.
“We advise the parties involved in the discussions to invest their time in mediation and reach a settlement, instead of trying to manipulate through the media,” it was quoted as saying.
There was no immediate reaction from Mahajaneh or his legal team.
