Hadassah hospital in talks to reinstate doctor falsely accused of praising terrorist

Hadassah Hospital will reinstate a doctor who was suspended after being accused of praising a Palestinian terror suspect being treated under his care, and will withdraw disciplinary proceedings following an outcry over the apparently trumped up claims.

Dr. Ahmad Mahajneh, a resident at Hadassah Medical Center Ein Kerem, has protested his innocence since the October 26 incident and is nearing a settlement with the hospital which will acknowledge his side of the story, according to a report Sunday.

The Jerusalem hospital had been in the process of firing Mahajneh over claims that he gave patient Muhammad Abu Qatish, 16, a plate of sweets, congratulated him, and called him a “shahid,” or martyr.

The hospital also accused Mahajneh of “insulting a police officer.”

The accusations were initially broadcast by the right-wing group Betsalmo — following a report by Israel Hayom — which has since retracted them and called for Mahajneh to be reinstated. Media reports initially relied on the apparently fabricated version of events, sparking outrage on social media, with some users threatening the doctor.

Abu Qatish, 16, seriously wounded an Israeli man in a stabbing attack on October 22 in the Jewish East Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat HaMivtar, according to Israeli authorities. He was shot by an officer after a brief chase and was hospitalized in serious condition.

According to Mahajneh, the knafeh and other food given to Abu Qatish were leftovers from food he had ordered to celebrate passing his residency exams, and were offered to all patients as part of a policy of equal treatment, though he was not the one to give it to Abu Qatish. While Hadassah technically forbids staff from giving patients outside food, the rule is rarely enforced, according to Hadas Zvi, deputy director of medical ethics with the NGO Physicians for Human Rights Israel.

Mahajneh said a police officer guarding Abu Qatish began questioning him about his identity, and when he refused to cooperate, a second officer began filming him.

Hadassah claimed that Mahajneh told the officer, “Why are you filming me? Are you stupid?” However, Mahajneh claimed he had actually said, “It’s stupid for you to film.”

“I meant that the act of filming was stupid, not the officer, whom I didn’t know,” Mahajneh later told The Times of Israel.

The reported settlement comes about a month after Hadassah said it would seek to swiftly resolve Mahajneh’s status through arbitration, once it became clear the accusations were seemingly fabricated. The doctor had been backed by the Israel Medical Association.

A settlement deal in the works will see the hospital acknowledge Mahajneh’s side of the story, withdraw its claims that Mahajneh praised Abu Qatish, and recognize Mahajneh’s professionalism and rapport with patients, according to the Israel Hayom tabloid.

It will allow him to continue working at the hospital and count his time under suspension toward his residency requirement.

Under the reported deal, Mahajneh will agree to oppose all acts of violence, including terrorism, and will acknowledge that the hospital needed to thoroughly investigate the accusations made against him.

In November, Mahajneh told ToI that he had never supported terrorism in his life, and that “terrorists deserve to be punished.”

According to the Israel Hayom report, mediation efforts are being held up due to a dispute over Hadassah’s demand that Mahajneh apologize for his confrontation with police officers.

Aside from allegedly insulting the officer, Hadassah faulted Mahajneh for not identifying himself once informed of his obligation to do so under Israeli law.

Hadassah told Israel Hayom that the mediation efforts were ongoing, and insinuated that the report had been planted as part of an effort to press Mahajneh’s case.

“We recommend to the parties involved in the discussion to invest their time in the mediation and to reach an agreement, instead of trying to manipulate through the media,” it was quoted saying.

There was no immediate response from Mahajneh or his legal team.