By Sarah Carnvek
Three years ago, talk of a joint program to train Jordanian and Israeli paramedics side by side in emergency medicine was greeted with uncertainty and hesitation. The 54 graduates of the Israel-Jordan Academic Emergency Medicine Collaboration at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) are proof that a dream by three professors – a Jordanian, an American and an Israeli -- could come true.
Students taking part in this three-year course got in-depth academic studies and hands-on experience and were granted a bachelor’s degree in emergency medicine.
"There are only three places that provide emergency medical response qualifications at the bachelor's degree level," said Dr. Mohammed al-Hadid, president of the Jordanian Red Crescent and one of the initiators of this program.
"Either we go to the United States or we go to Australia, or we choose to go next door to our neighbors. We were very impressed with the level of expertise demonstrated in Israel -- and when you see something that is working for others, you want to have the best for your own people."
Al-Hadid worked with Prof. James Torczyner, director of the McGill Middle East Program in Civil Society and Peace Building, and Prof. Jimmy Weinblatt, former rector at BGU, to get the Emergency Medicine Collaboration off the ground.
The European Union Partnership for Peace Program, the Israeli Ministry for Regional Cooperation, MASHAV (Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation), and private donors funded the program. The Jordanian students had all tuition costs covered, as well as their living expenses in Beersheva.
"I thank you all for giving our students the opportunity to get their education and training them to become lifesavers, unlike those life-takers who do so in the name of their fanatic beliefs. However our belief will always be through humanity to peace," said al-Hadid in his congratulatory address to the first graduating class.
Uniting in disaster
Most of the recent graduates will use their skills for local medical emergencies. But should a natural disaster strike, they'll all be prepared to help.
After all, Israel is known for its highly trained emergency medical teams who are often sent to nations around the world to assist in managing natural disasters such as earthquakes. Now, both the Israeli and Jordanian students who took part in the BGU program will be standing by.
As part of their curriculum, the students completed a Joint Disaster Management Project -- a set of training exercises that brought Jordanian and Israeli students together with officials of Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency service, and the Jordanian Red Cross to organize regional preparedness in emergency situations and earthquakes.
With seismologists warning about fault lines along the Syrian-African Rift, there is a likelihood of an earthquake in Israeli and Jordanian cities.
"We have started to do something before it happens, and that is to get to know each other, to know what we are good at and to exchange expertise and experience, because then our joint effort will be more effective in saving as many people as we can in case something does happen in this region," said al-Hadid.
Regional dream
BGU has a long history of working with Arab academics. Some collaborations are kept under the radar to keep politics from disrupting teamwork, while others – like this EMS venture – are publicized.
Dr. Bruria Adini, director of the BGU emergency initiative, says the Jordanian students took part in campus life, social gatherings and a competency course together with their Israeli peers.
One of the main goals of the BGU program was to encourage neighboring Arab countries to work together with Israel in the event of a significant emergency or natural disaster.
Adini would like to see the next BGU emergency course include not only Jordanians and Israelis but also Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians and Egyptians.
"Medicine is the bridge to working together. We're all people and there's absolutely no difference between us," she says. "We need a joint and collaborative response that can save lives.”
Al-Hadid shares her vision. "His Majesty King Hussein, God rest his soul, stressed on many occasions that 'Peace resides in the hands of the people and not in the hands of governments.' So, before it is too late, we should choose courage over fear and hope over hatred," he said in his speech. "Experience has shown us that it is possible to bring Arabs and Israelis together to achieve common goals."