High Court Lets Palestinian Rioter Into Country for Emergency Medical Treatment

A man who lost a leg after being shot and wounded by IDF soldiers in violent disorders at the Gaza border fence was given a special dispensation by the High Court on Monday to enter Israel for medical treatment on his other leg, The Times of Israel reported.

The man, Yousef Karnaz, 20, had been denied entry by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), according to groups representing Karnaz and another man wounded in the rioting.

The state had argued that although the men met the medical criteria for approval, they were denied entry because their injuries “stemmed directly from their participation in the riots.”

The court overruled COGAT and ordered that Karnaz be allowed transfer to a hospital in Ramallah for treatment on his left leg, which he was also in danger of losing, after his right leg was amputated in Gaza.

The court found that Karnaz posed no security risk and that his medical condition was a “complete change in the essence of his life,” justifying immediate entry for treatment.

The court stressed, however, that it was making an exception, and the ruling would have no bearing on future transfers of patients from Gaza.