Dr. Ali Abu Sharach with Rescuers Without Borders Chairman Arie Levy
Dr. Ali Abu Sharach with Rescuers Without Borders Chairman Arie LevyHatzalah Yehuda Shomron

A Palestinian doctor who helped save a Jewish family moments after they were targeted in a deadly terrorist attack has been honored by local Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.

Dr. Ali Abu Sharach and his wife - who is a nurse - provided life-saving emergency treatment to the family of Rabbi Michael Mark, who was killed in a drive-by shooting two weeks ago near his Judean hometown of Otniel. Rabbi Mark's children had been extracted from the car by another Palestinian passerby.

The Hatzalah Yehuda Shomron volunteer paramedic organization and the Saving Without Borders (SSF) organization - both of which are based in Judea and Samaria - on Wednesday recognized Dr. Abu Sharach for his heroic actions.

Dr. Abu Sharach had been driving with his family to pray at Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and ran over to give life-saving aid to injured members of the Mark family despite having no medical equipment on hand.

When the two Jewish organizations heard of Abu Sharach's actions at the scene of the attack, they decided to express their appreciation by awarding him with thousands of shekels worth of emergency medical equipment.

The gift was presented to him by SSF World Chairman Arie Levy.

Josh Hasten a spokesperson for Hatzalah Yehuda Shomron, noted that his organization never discriminates in providing emergency treatment, and hailed the Palestinian doctor for exhibiting the same medical ethics.

"Often, our volunteer emergency responders, in coordination with the IDF, are called in to treat Arabs in the area since they know Hatzalah Yehuda Shomron provides top notch lifesaving care.

"In this situation the shoe was on the other foot and we are grateful that a local Arab doctor was willing to fulfill his oath as a medical professional and try to save Jewish lives."

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In several instances during the latest wave of Arab terrorist attacks, Arab doctors and paramedics have ignored wounded Jewish victims, in an apparently flagrant violation of their doctors' oath."

Hasten said he hoped others would take heed of Dr. Abu Sharach's noble actions.

"If only all of our neighbors would learn from Dr. Sharach's example," he said.