JERUSALEM: New York City Mayor Bloomberg meets Israeli Prime minister, and inaugurates healthcare station in Jerusalem

In a photo opportunity befitting a head of state, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert greeted New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in Jerusalem. Earlier Thursday Bloomberg attended a dedication ceremony for a "Magen David Adom" station named after his father in Jerusalem. Magen David Adom is an organisation that provides emergency medical services, and medical training across Israel. The new William H. Bloomberg MDA Jerusalem Station will be the "flagship" of Magen David Adom's network of facilities, the MDA said. "In Israel, and in New York, supporting the efforts of our first responders is one of the most important things that we can do, and I think, mother, I speak for the whole family. I think our father would have - my father, Marjorie's and my father would really have a smile on his face," Bloomberg said at the ceremony The New York City mayor said that the new facility, along with other donations his family has made to Jerusalem, solidified his ties to the region. "I think we all have that feeling that we have a responsibility to give back and to help others, and we want to help the American Friends of MDA for giving us, our family, an opportunity to really make a difference. And having my father's name on a building here, and my mother's name on a few floors of Hadassah University Hospital really will give us a presence in Jerusalem that will - our family will think about all the time," Bloomberg said. Mayor Bloomberg's mother, Charlotte, inserted a commemorative scroll into the cornerstone of the new building. On Friday, Mayor Bloomberg is expected to visit the Israeli town of Sderot, which is located near Gaza is frequently a target of rockets fired by Palestinian militants.

ITN Source | February 2, 2007

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