A Palestinian Citizen of Israel Reflects on Life in the Shadow of Genocide in Gaza
On the day of my father’s heart valve operation, my brother and I checked him into a hospital in Herzliya, just north of Tel Aviv. We were met by a diverse group of Israeli staff reflecting the country's complex society.
A middle-aged woman with a Slavic accent directed us to the correct floor. The attending physician was an Ashkenazi professor in scrubs, smiling warmly. “What a nice family,” he said before moving on. A Palestinian Muslim nurse wearing a floral hijab then took my father's blood pressure. We recognized her accent from Qalansawe, a Palestinian town in the Triangle region near the Green Line, where our family originally comes from.
Following her was a religious Jewish nurse, likely a settler because of her ornate tichel (headscarf). She reassured us, saying, “Valve replacement surgeries have become routine. Your dad’s in good hands.” Everyone was kind and polite.
The final staff member we saw was a young religious Jewish man, also dressed in the style associated with West Bank settlers: sandals, a short-sleeved shirt, a small crocheted yarmulke, and a scruffy beard. He took blood samples with care.
“Valve replacement surgeries have become routine,” the nurse said. “Your dad’s in good hands.”
The experience highlighted the coexistence of different communities within Israel’s healthcare system, fostering hope for an Arab-Jewish future despite ongoing tensions.
Author’s summary: A hospital visit reveals a microcosm of Israeli society, where kindness and professional care transcend deep ethnic and political divides.
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