NewsClick

NewsClick
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Covid-19
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • International
  • Sports
  • Articles
  • Videos
search
menu

INTERACTIVE ELECTION MAPS

image/svg+xml
  • All Articles
  • Newsclick Articles
  • All Videos
  • Newsclick Videos
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • Sports
  • International
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Palestine
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • US
  • West Asia
About us
Subscribe
Follow us Facebook - Newsclick Twitter - Newsclick RSS - Newsclick
close menu
×
For latest updates on nCOVID-19 around the world visit our INTERACTIVE COVID MAP
Politics
International
Palestine

Covid Under Apartheid: Palestinians Coping with Covid-19

Over 4000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons, many of whom are administrative detainees with no charges or trial, are extrememly vulnerable to infection.
Apoorva G
21 Dec 2020
palestine.

A recently published feature in the Indian Express detailed the collaborative work done by Israel’s embassy in India along with a number of NGOs to provide masks, sanitizers as well as other forms of hand-outs to underprivileged communities. The feature also detailed the growing collaboration between India and Israel in agriculture, technology and homeland security. Quite apart from the cover up all of this provides to Israel’s ongoing and egregious violations of Palestinian rights, this also demands a look at its denial of fundamental access to health to Palestinians during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some recent reports coming from Palestinian and other human rights groups shed light on this:

Israel’s decades long occupation and settler colonialism has ensured de-development of Palestinian health sector. Gaza Strip has been under a 13 years long blockade, and on top of that Israel’s regular assaults have enforced a shortage of food, medicines and destruction of basic health infrastructure. Similarly in the West Bank, defunding of the public sector and fragmentation of land impacts the health system as well. Not only does the Palestinian health system depend on aid, any travel for health (or any other purposes) depends on permits from Israel. During this pandemic, Israeli forces as well as settlers have destroyed testing centres and displaced communities. A report by Housing and Land Rights Network states,

In real-time, Palestine’s Land Research Center – Jerusalem (LRC) mapped the spike in land theft, house demolitions and agricultural sabotage aided by settler movements operating through the pandemic, seeking either to accelerate, preempt or replace the US-Israeli annexation scheme by their own undeterred crimes. Meanwhile, LRC also documented the instances of a particularly cruel Israeli form of punitive house demolitions, which involves forcing owners to demolish their own home, often with the humiliating witness of their own onlooking family and neighbors.

Over 4000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons, many of whom are administrative detainees with no charges or trial, are extrememly vulnerable to infection. Numerous reports of prisoners and prison guards testing positive have surfaced. While globally there is a move towards releasing prisoners due to the pandemic, and while Israeli prisoners have been released on preventive basis, Israeli Supreme court has accepted the authorties’ argument that Palestinian prisoners have no right to social distancing.  

Yara Asi, a scholar of health and development in conflict-affected populations, notes: 

While the structural violence of the occupation is especially apparent in this time of global crisis, direct violence has not ceased. Gaza has been engaged in an active conflict for most of the summer, as Israeli aircraft and artillery have struck areas in the Strip in response to incendiary balloons and rockets. In the West Bank, incursions and raids by the Israeli military have continued, leading to fears within the Palestinian population that Israeli soldiers entering their homes or staffing the checkpoints might be infectious.

Finally, this factsheet by the BDS movement, provides an overview of Palestinians’ vulnerability, enduring Israeli apartheid and a global pandemic:

Courtesy: Indian Cultural Forum

Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
Israel
COVID 19
palestine
Israel Palestine Conflict
Related Stories
vaccine.

Debunking Vaccine Myths—They Don’t Cause Infertility Or Autism

60 Israeli teens reject military service over Israeli apartheid, neoliberalism, and denial of the Nakba

60 Israeli Teens Reject Military Service Over Israeli Apartheid, Neoliberalism, and Denial of the Nakba

Central Vista

Everything You Need to Know About Central Vista Judgment and Dissent

Prime Minister Modi (R) and UK PM Boris Johnson. File photo

Boris Johnson has Done Modi a Favour

Increased Property Tax and Municipal Reforms Spark Protest in Andhra Pradesh

Increased Property Tax and Municipal Reforms Spark Protest in Andhra Pradesh

anganwadi workers.

ASHA and Anganwadi Workers Are the Backbones of India’s Rural Health and Care Services

Scene from a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, Tehran, Dec 31, 2020

Perfect Storm Gathers in Persian Gulf

pD

Under the Cover of the Pandemic, States Cracked Down Even Harder

covid 19 year of pandemic.

A Year of COVID-19: The Known and Unknown

revenue

Centre, States’ Revenue Collections Dip in FY 2020-21 Even as Expenditure Increases

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share

Related Stories

Arun Mitra

Health Authorities Silent as the Medical Community Fights Against Patanjali’s CORONIL

25 February 2021
As the medical community deals with a rising circulation of fake news and vaccines, the government takes a back seat and even encourages it und
Ditsa Bhattacharya

Lockdown Caused Prolonged Unemployment, Shift to Informal Work: Survey

11 February 2021
Workers in the informal sector are still reeling from the
Parvathi Sajiv

The Pandemic Blues and Mental Health

07 February 2021
The pandemic forced light upon the already struggling healthcare system and broader conversations about health.  The pandemic also brought with

Pagination

  • Next page ››

More

  • TN

    TN this Week: Transport Workers Strike Continues, Five Killed in Firecracker Unit Blast

  • Saudi

    Saudi Crown Prince Approved Killing of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi: US Intelligence Report

  • sadiq jamal.

    Retired Cop Tarun Barot Discharged in Sadiq Jamal Encounter Case

  • IT Rule

    ‘In Some Places IT Rules Against Principle of News’: DIGIPUB

  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with
about