The Palestine Red Crescent Society ( ar, جمعية الهلال الأحمر الفلسطيني, PRCS) was founded in 1968, by

Fathi Arafat Fathi Arafat ( ar, فتحي عرفات; January 11, 1933 – December 1, 2004), born in Cairo, was a Palestinian people, Palestinian physician and a founder and long-term chairman of the Palestine Red Crescent Society. He studied medicine a ...

Yasser Arafat Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...

's brother. It is a humanitarian organization that is part of the

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

. It provides hospitals, emergency medicine and ambulance services, and primary health care centers in the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

and

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

. Its headquarters is in

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerus ...

, near

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Ambulance services

The PRCS provides the majority of

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to med ...

services in the territories, such as providing emergency medical and relief services to Palestinians as mandated in 1996 by then PLO leader

. Ambulance services are provided by 41 stations and substations, 22 mobile field posts, 122 ambulances, 346 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and over 500 volunteers. 1996 also saw the foundation of the Emergency Medical Institute, which trains staff and EMTs in accordance with international standards. Furthermore, the PRCS has been instrumental in the establishment of the national emergency number (101).

Special problems

Roadblock Checkpoint Jerusalem Bethlehem

Conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has created some special issues for service delivery. Israeli authorities have required Palestinian ambulances to undergo a through search when passing through checkpoints, delaying patient care with significant negative outcomes. For example, between the years 2000 and 2007, it was estimated that 16% of pregnant women had to wait at checkpoints for periods exceeding two hours, resulting in 68 women giving birth at checkpoints, 35 instances of miscarriage, and 5 maternal deaths in a seven-year period. According to Israeli sources, this policy is the result of Palestinian organizations using ambulances to transport terrorists and armament during the

Second Intifada The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel ...

, making it necessary to inspect Palestinian ambulances regardless of the seriousness of the patient's condition. Israel made similar claims during the 2008–2009 Gaza War; however,

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and s ...

denies that

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni- Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qas ...

had systematically used medical facilities, vehicles and uniforms as a cover, stating that no evidence had been provided proving such actions. Further,

Magen David Adom The Magen David Adom ( he, מגן דוד אדום, abbr. MDA, pronounced ''MAH-dah'' per its Hebrew acronym, ) is Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. The name means "Red Shield" or "Red Star of Dav ...

's submission to the UN Mission investigating the war stated that, "there was no use of PRCS ambulances for the transport of weapons or ammunition ... ndthere was no misuse of the emblem by PRCS." According to the PRCS, Israeli Defense Force personnel on the ground and in aircraft have deliberately targeted Palestinian ambulances, and prevented or impeded them from carrying out their duties, in violation of international humanitarian law. In 2003, for example, the PRCS reported that seven staff members were injured and 12 ambulances were damaged in attacks by Israeli settlers and the IDF, and PRCS ambulances were denied or delayed access to areas on 584 different occasions.

References

External links

PRCS website

PRCS summary on ReliefWeb
{{Authority control Palestinian charities Organizations established in 1968 Emergency services in the State of Palestine Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies International Falcon Movement – Socialist Educational International Medical and health organizations based in the State of Palestine Organizations based in Al-Bireh

Ambulance services

Special problems

See also

References

External links