10 July 2022; MEMO: The UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has pledged $25 million in support of the Al-Makassed Hospital in Palestine's occupied East Jerusalem to expand its medical supplies services.
According to the Gulf Times, the pledge comes as part of the Gulf state's "ongoing efforts to support Palestinian healthcare institutions, and to meet the needs of the Palestinian people."
It also comes head of US President Joe Biden's visit to the region this week, which will include Israel and Saudi Arabia. Biden will become the first American President to fly to the kingdom directly from Israel in a visit which is speculated to include talk of steps towards normalisation with Israel, following the UAE and Bahrain who signed the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020.
The 250-bed hospital which runs under the auspices of the Makassed Islamic Charitable Society was established in 1968 – a year after East Jerusalem was occupied by Israel and subsequently annexed in 1980.
The hospital is a key healthcare institution for the Palestinian people, offering a full range of services including cardiology, orthopaedics, paediatric medicine and neurology. Al-Makassed also serves as a teaching hospital and research facility in association with Al-Quds University and the Palestinian, Jordanian and Arab Medical Councils.
