Checkpoint (archive photo)
Photo: Gali Cohen Magen
Palestinians claim man's death caused by ambulance delay at checkpoint
Ambulance driver on way to drowning victim says 2 soldiers stopped him for 20 minutes; IDF sources: Ambulance passed through quickly
A Palestinian who drowned in a swimming pool died Thursday because an ambulance coming to his aid was held up at a checkpoint, local Palestinians said. Medical staff at the Nablus hospital - where he died after 20 minutes of CPR - said Zaid Asiah (27) could have been resuscitated had he arrived sooner.
Thursday at noon, ambulance driver Adnen Ghneimi received an urgent regarding a victim of drowning. "I arrived at the checkpoint at the entrance of the town and after a quick and pleasant check, was allowed to pass," Ghneimi said.
However, he was stopped by two soldiers on the other side of the checkpoint. According to Ghneimi, he explained that he was on his way to an emergency, but "the soldiers said that, as far as they were concerned, the drowning man could die.
"I started to call the Red Cross, but one of the soldiers noticed me, hit me on the shoulder with the butt of his gun…and kicked the vehicle," he said.
He said he was delayed some 20 minutes and also stopped on the way back to the hospital, after picking up the victim. "The same two soldiers…gave me a hard time, opened the ambulance and saw that the youth was in a severe state. After at least four minutes, the officer told me 'you broke my heart, you can go.'
"The round-trip journey…takes 25-30 minutes, which is the time that I was delayed at the checkpoint," said Ghneimi. "I believe that the delay caused the young man's death. This is proven by the fact that the treatment at the hospital kept him alive for a while, but in the end he died."
IDF spokespersons said the incident was being investigated. Meanwhile, other sources in the military told Ynet "the Palestinian died as a result of drowning, not as a result of the checkpoint.
"The ambulance was checked quickly and allowed to pass within minutes. It was not delayed after leaving Nablus, which is a distance of over 30 minutes from the location where the victim drowned," they said.
Regarding the driver's claims that one of the soldiers hit him, the sources said "the claims were investigated and found to be false".
Machsom Watch, an independent organization that monitors the behavior of soldiers and police at checkpoints, said "this particular checkpoint always causes tension in hot weather, when Palestinian drivers and passengers are forced to stay in the heat.
"The behavior of the soldiers towards the ambulance driver, who was hurrying to save a life, demonstrates the obtuseness of checkpoints in the West Bank."
