Likud MK Criticizes Admission of Palestinian University Graduates to Israeli Hospitals
Likud MK Moshe Saada criticized Israeli hospitals for accepting Palestinian university graduates into clinical training while local reservists face severe shortages of medical residency slots.
The Israeli healthcare system has long faced a shortage of physicians and residency positions, leaving medical graduates waiting months or even years to secure placements in desired hospital departments. During a Knesset committee meeting in May, health officials warned that the hospital staffing formula has remained unchanged since 1977. Now, Likud MK Moshe Saada has raised sharp criticisms regarding the allocation of medical training slots and who is accepted into them.
Concerns Over Palestinian University Graduates
In an interview with the "Al HaMasma'ut" podcast, Saada argued that while Israeli citizens, including IDF reservists, struggle to secure medical training placements, Israeli hospitals are simultaneously admitting students who studied at Palestinian universities and physicians residing in the Palestinian Authority. He contended that this issue extends beyond a mere shortage of positions, framing it as a matter of national security. According to Health Ministry data presented to the Knesset in January, 122 students who studied at An-Najah University in Nablus and Al-Quds University are currently undergoing clinical training in Israeli hospitals, compared to approximately 70 in 2024.
Saada shared an anecdote about a reserve soldier who studied medicine in Beersheba and fought in Gaza. According to the MK, the soldier sought clinical rotations at Soroka Medical Center but was told there were no available slots. Later, upon visiting the hospital with his wife, the soldier reportedly noticed students from Al-Quds and Nablus universities undergoing training there. Saada questioned how a combat soldier could be denied a training position while graduates of those institutions were accepted. The specific details of the incident and the alleged correlation between the soldier's rejection and the students' placement have not been independently verified.
Political Backlash and Security Debate
Saada also pointed to an outdoor advertisement he encountered near Umm al-Fahm along Wadi Ara road. The banner, featuring a doctor's image, allegedly invited young people to study in Nablus under the slogan "Come study in Nablus in the State of Palestine." Saada criticized institutions in the Palestinian Authority, claiming some serve as hubs for terrorism. Furthermore, his claim that Qatar funds the training of these students remains unverified.
On Route 65 between Afula and Hadera, in the very heart of the State of Israel, an advertisement invites Arab citizens of Israel to study medicine at An-Najah University "in Palestine"—a thoroughly Hamas-affiliated university. This is the result of flawed discrimination that leads the State of Israel to recognize medical degrees from institutions full of incitement and hatred of Jews. I will not rest until we put an end to this flawed discrimination, said Saada.
The Health Ministry defended its policies during Knesset discussions, clarifying that academic institutions undergo rigorous professional and ethical reviews, and noting specific measures enacted to assist reservists who studied medicine abroad. The Association of University Heads firmly rejected allegations of sectarian bias in the assignment of clinical training slots.
