Palestinian Fired From PA for Coming to Rescue of Mark Family

A Palestinian man who was the first to come to the assistance of the Mark family in the terror attack in which Miki Mark, Hy”d, was killed on July 1 was fired from his job in the Palestinian Authority as a result of his action.

Since that incident, J., whose full name has not been made public, has been subjected to abuse and threats, a relative told Israel Hayom.

“He is not scared, but it bothers him that he and his family have become outcasts since the event. More than anything, it hurts him that he was fired from his job in the public sector of the Palestinian Authority. They told him that he was let go because of budget cuts, but he was the only one who was fired a few days after the incident.”

However, J. does not regret his decision to help the Mark family, he said.

“Even in a war, you don’t hurt a wounded enemy and you provide assistance, and that is what he did,” he said. “If he could go back, he would do the exact same thing.”

The Palestinian Authority would not comment on the firing.

Meanwhile, in response to a request from J., Har Chevron Regional Council head Yochai Damari has taken up his cause.

“I met with him and he asked me to help remove any obstacle preventing him from receiving a work permit [in Israel],” Damari wrote in a posting.

“This week I wrote a letter to Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, requesting help in getting a work permit for the two of them. I met with them, I am aware of the difficulties, but I think that in cases like this it is our obligation as the Jewish nation to show our thanks to people who behave as upstanding people and act in a way expected of them in situations like this,” Damari said.

“Particularly at this time we must strengthen the positive forces and send a clear message that normal positive behavior will lead us [Israel] to also behave normally and positively,” he wrote.

In his account of the incident, J. said that at first he thought the family had been an accident. Only after he approached their car did he learn the truth.

“I took the boy [15-year-old Pedaya Mark] and I hugged him. I gave him some water and applied iodine, and just kept telling him that everything was going to be fine,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me if it was an accident or a terror attack, it’s irrelevant. These are people, children, who need help, and if I can help, I will help them.

“The girl told me, ‘G-d sent an Arab to help us,’” he added.