Rival medical aid group plotted to undermine Magen David Adom, report shows

A battle over the credit for saving lives — and the money from foreign donors that comes with it — spurred the ultra-Orthodox emergency medical organization United Hatzalah to plot to undermine Magen David Adom (MDA), according to a report NRG, the website of the Maariv daily, on Thursday.

United Hatzalah denied the accusations, and said it was part of an ongoing MDA campaign “paid for by public tax money,” to limit the work of Hatzalah volunteers.

According to the report, MDA is asking the State Comptroller and the Health Ministry to investigate United Hatzalah because of documents that have come to light outlining a comprehensive plan to harm MDA in order to advance United Hatzalah’s interests.

The plan — hatched two years ago by a public relations firm that United Hatzalah had hired during a time of tension between United Hatzalah and MDA — includes besmirching MDA in Israel and abroad by insinuating that the organization is overfunded and duplicitous in its fundraising efforts; initiating protests with fictitious claims that MDA harms the efforts of others to save lives; and establishing a broad coalition of support for United Hazalah among Knesset members to remove the notion that United Hatzalah is motivated by a sectarian ultra-Orthodox agenda.

While United Hazalah agreed they hired a PR firm, they said the ideas thought of during a brainstorming session were never implemented. In a written response United Hazalah told the Times of Israel they faced “repeated attempts” by MDA to limit their organization. As a result, United Hazalah consulted a PR firm.

“The attempt to represent early and nonbinding ideas as an official document or work process,” was a misrepresentation, they said. The two organization used to cooperated in order to save lives, the letter stated. United Hazalah said they regretted MDA’s decision to sever the ties between the two. “We will agree to any cooperation that will help save lives.”