While politicians attempt to hammer out differences, an Israeli-Arab reconciliation of a different sort took place recently at an Israeli hospital.
Doctors at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv transplanted the heart of a Jewish boy killed in a road accident to a 3-year-old Arab girl.
Dr. Ya’acov Lavi, a surgeon at the hospital, said the girl, Reem al-Jaroushi of Ramle, had a heart three times the normal size and would have had a limited life without the transplant.
The boy, Yuval Kaveh, was killed when he was hit by a car while crossing the street with his bicycle days before his ninth birthday.
“She’s got a wonderful heart both from nature’s standpoint and from an emotional standpoint,” said Yuval’s father, David.
The girl’s mother, Amal, told Israel Radio that she was “very thankful” for the help her daughter received.
Lavi said the girl has shown fast improvement.
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