Israelis, Christians join to help Palestinian children
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Israeli Goodwill
Israel, and in particular Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, is joining forces with Christians in Australia to provide life-giving medical care to Palestinian Arab children.
Project Rozana is a collaboration between Hadassah Australia, Anglican Overseas Aid and Hadassah Hospital, which has two locations in Jerusalem. The project has the full support and assistance of the Palestinian Authority health minister.
The project was inspired by the recent case of 5-year-old Rozana Ghannam, a Palestinian girl from Ramallah. About a year ago, Rozana fell out the window of her 9th-floor apartment.
"I didn’t expect that Rozana was still alive. I was shouting and weeping, asking anybody to help," wrote Rozana's mother, Maysa Ghannam, in a statement read aloud at the launch of Project Rozana in Melbourne, Australia.
Naturally, first responders wanted to take little Rozana to nearby Ramallah Hospital. But her mother refused, insisting that the broken little girl be rushed to Hadassah Hospital, widely regarded as one of the finest medical facilities in the region.
Doctors at Hadassah were indeed able to save little Rozana's life. "Rozana is now a miracle of life, a Palestinian girl who returned to life at the hands of doctors - Jews and Arabs," wrote her mother.
Those behind project Rozana, including the Israeli Foreign Ministry, hope via Jewish and Christian outreach arms in Australia to raise at least $500,000 a year. The entirety of the funds will be used to cover the treatment of Palestinian Arab children at Hadassah Hospital, as well as to provide training to Palestinian doctors and specialists.