MDA volunteers in Gush Etzion
MDA volunteers in Gush EtzionGershon Elinson/FLASH90

Magen David Adom (MDA) announced the closure of five stations in Judea and Samaria and reduced activity of others, due to budget cuts.

The move places thousands of lives in Judea and Samaria council at risk, critics say.

On Sunday, the Maged David Adom (MDA) emergency services organization said that its Judea and Samaria stations would close at 3:00 PM Monday, pushing off the planned closures by 24 hours. MDA had initially planned to shut down services in Judea and Samaria Sunday afternoon, but delayed the move at the request of Samaria Regional Council chief Yossi Dagan.

Dagan had contacted the Prime Minister's Office earlier on Sunday, demanding Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu convene an emergency meeting on the issue in the United States.

"A week after the attack, shamelessly, after cutting back on the number of soldiers in the area and refusing to meet needs of 400 million shekels for security components, they add insult to injury and close MDA stations, abandoning the lives of half-a-million residents of Judea and Samaria literally," Dagan said.

"The government of Israel and MDA should be ashamed. While there's a right-wing government, the Prime Minister's Office, the Health Ministry, Finance Ministry, and the National Organization of MDA cut budgets a week after a terrible attack.

"I'm ashamed how my government is behaving. Magen David Adom National Committee of the State of Israel - this is disgrace. The Prime Minister must convene a discussion in Washington and resolve this story.

"We cannot be hostages of ego wars and budgetary wars over millions every year. This is human life here. People may be killed, and killed as a result of this," he added.

Attorney Nati Rom, chairman of the Lev Haolam foundation, also condemned the planned closures and the failure of MDA and the health ministry to ensure a timely transfer of funds for operations in Judea and Samaria.

"The lives of our residents are not less important, they are not second-class citizens. Every year, MDA and the health ministry negotiate over the health of residents of Judea and Samaria. The time has come to make the health services payments for Judea and Samaria part of the regular government budget, not a special allocation every year."

יוסי דגן תוקף את נתניהו: מתבייש בממשלה