Ambulance (illustrative)
Ambulance (illustrative)Uri Lenz/Flash 90

Magen David Adom services in Judea and Samaria returned to normal on Friday, after Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (UTJ) told Magen David Adom CEO Eli Bin he would work to find a solution to the financial issues currently facing Israel's national emergency rescue organization.

On Thursday, Bin announced MDA would cut services in Judea and Samaria, after not receiving the budget they had expected to receive. Bin explained that salaries, equipment, and gas costs are high, and the organization was functioning on a deficit which would impact the rest of Israel as well.

Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan said on Saturday evening, "Even though we are glad the crisis has been avoided, women and children cannot continue to be used as hostages every year, because of fights over the budget.

"It's time for this saga to end, once and for all. It cannot be that every year there is no budget to run MDA stations in Judea and Samaria, specifically in Judea and Samaria," Dagan said. "The MDA budget should be part of the Israeli government's budget, not an addition which can be fought over every year.

"Health services are one of the basic rights which every citizen deserves. I expect the Finance Ministry, the Health Ministery, and MDA to solve the problem once and for all. Judea and Samaria residents are deserve equal care," he concluded.