Police raid Red Crescent offices in East Jerusalem
Action comes days after terror victim said Palestinian ambulance drove by his dead and wounded relatives
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Israel Police on Tuesday evening raided an office belonging the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service in East Jerusalem.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the objective of the raid could not currently be revealed.
According to social media accounts, the raid took place at a PRC office in Silwan. It was not clear if any arrests were made.
After a shooting attack on Friday that killed Rabbi Yaakov Litman and his 18-year-old son Netanel, the family’s 16-year-old son called Israel’s emergency service to report the attack, and told the Magen David Adom operator that a Red Crescent ambulance happened to be driving by and saw the injured family, but failed to help them.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday demanded an explanation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as to why the ambulance ignored the wounded Israelis.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday that the Palestinian ambulance had effectively aided the terrorists.
A PRC spokesperson said in response that the ambulance crew had been prepared to help, but a military ambulance arrived before they could. The spokesperson said that soldiers alighted the ambulance with guns draw and added that Red Crescent employees have complained in the past of threats by IDF troops and also of incidents where soldiers sprayed paramedics with pepper spray.
A driver of the first civilian ambulance to reach the scene of the attack on Friday afternoon said he saw the PRC ambulance driving away. According to his account, the Palestinian paramedics did not get out of their vehicle.
The Times of Israel Community.