Palestinian baby recovering in Israel

Jerusalem Post ^ | Feb. 9, 2004 | JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH

[yonif]

A five-week-old Palestinian baby boy from the Gaza Strip, treated for severe infection and malnutrition at Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, is doing well and will probably be discharged in two weeks, according to Dr. Tsipi Dolfin, head of the hospital's premature baby unit.

The baby, a first child conceived by in-vitro fertilization 15 years after his parents married, was born in the 31st week of pregnancy to his mother, Marbed Ibrahim Abdel Azziz Zannen. His father is Prof. Abad Rabu Zannen, a lecturer in education and communications at Gaza University.

The baby weighted 1.6 kilos, was breastfeeding and doing well, but then developed an infection, said Dolfin on Monday.

"Admitted to the hospital in Gaza, he was fed only glucose, and the antibiotics he was given were not suited to the pathogen causing the infection, and he was not getting the nutrition he needed so his condition deteriorated seriously," she said. "Doctors at the hospital in Gaza did not have the nutritional supplement and specialized antibiotics he needed, so they called us. They said his only chance of survival was to be treated in Israel."

The Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry agreed to cover the cost of hospitalization in the premature baby intensive care unit, and Meir Hospital emergency room staffers received him when he was mentally confused and had a swollen abdomen due to malnutrition.

Dolfin said they gave him the proper nutrition, including fats and protein. "When a baby in this condition gets only sugar, the proteins and fats in his body break down."

When the parents were unable to leave Gaza and be with the baby in Ra'anana due to the lack of documents, Dolfin – who is also unpaid deputy mayor of Ra'anana – called Mayor Ze'ev Bielski and asked him for help. Bielski in turn wrote a letter to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, noting that the presence of the parents at his bedside and their ability to give him warmth and love would help the baby recover.

"Knowing you and your sensitivity to others, I am sure you'll agree that alongside the struggle against Palestinian terrorism we must do all we can to create good neighborly relations with the population in the Palestinian Authority," Bielski wrote.

Mofaz made the arrangements. The mother is constantly at the baby's side and the father has taken time away from the university to be with him.

[KantianBurke]

Expect the Jews to be blamed for making the baby sick in the first place.

[thoughtomator]

There's no point to treating the kid in the first place if you're just going to condemn him to live under Arafat's tyranny.

[Criminal Number 18F]

"Knowing [MinDef Shaul Mofaz] and your sensitivity to others, I am sure you'll agree that alongside the struggle against Palestinian terrorism we must do all we can to create good neighborly relations with the population in the Palestinian Authority," Bielski wrote.

Which will be seen by the heathen savages as weakness. Sigh.

I wonder if any of the American press will give an iota of credit to Mr Mofaz for his actions? He is to be applauded, although a faithful Jew (or a Christian for that matter) could have done no other. From what I have seen of Muslims, many of them would not put out that much effort for the lives of their own children, and would take delight in the suffering of the babies of their enemies (as, indeed, the Palestinians routinely do).

I'm glad that this family is enough of an exception to seek treatment for their baby... the child is, after all innocent, and deserves to live and to be loved and healthy.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F