The Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council (JVP HAC) fully endorses the recent report by Amnesty International (AI), “Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: A Cruel System of Domination and a Crime Against Humanity,” issued on February 1, 2022. After more than four years of intensive research and documentation, the world’s largest grassroots human rights organization has reinforced the conclusions of multiple NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem and others in Israel and Palestine, that Israel’s actions towards Palestine constitute apartheid under international law.
Amnesty calls on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to include the crime of apartheid in its current investigation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Unlike previous positions AI has taken, the report demands that Israel recognize the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees and provide “full reparations” to Palestinians, including “restitution for all land and properties acquired on a racial basis.”
Far from singling out Israel among human rights abusers and apartheid states, one of the AI report’s recommendations is that the UN General Assembly “should reestablish the Special Committee against Apartheid, which was originally established in November 1962, to focus on all situations … where the serious human rights violation and crime against humanity of apartheid are being committed.”
Amnesty International’s report and recommendations, coming after years of more limited support for Palestinian rights, has great significance. JVP HAC’s weekly COVID timelines, monthly health and human rights updates, and regular webinars — the latest follows this statement, below — demonstrate that preventable illness and suffering, limited access to health services, and physical and mental trauma among Palestinians are clearly related to conditions of life under occupation and violence perpetrated by Israeli government, military, police, and settlers. Growing consensus on a state of apartheid and international pressure on Israel to cease violations of international law can greatly improve the health status and well-being of Palestinians, as well as help to achieve equal rights and true democracy.
The panicky Israeli response to the AI report (predictably discounting with the false charge of antisemitic propaganda and linking it to NGOs designated “terrorist organizations” by the Israeli Defense Ministry), has only drawn more attention to its findings. The US chapter of Amnesty International has given the report only conditional approval; the German chapter, bowing to the antisemitism charges, has withheld its endorsement. A bipartisan group of 42 members of the US Congress has asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken to “lead an effort to end the outrageous and unjust permanent [UN] commission of inquiry [on apartheid states].” Amnesty International has appealed directly to the Biden administration: “We also urge the Biden administration to consider the role of the US government in bringing an end to the Israeli government’s ongoing human rights violations. … The Biden administration has repeatedly committed to center human rights and stand for ‘a world in which human rights are protected’ and rights abusers ‘are held accountable.’ The United States must apply that standard everywhere, equally — and not make exceptions for allies.”
The JVP HAC stands with Amnesty International and others throughout the world in condemning Israel’s system of apartheid and denial of basic rights of Palestinians. We urge other organizations and individuals committed to justice and human rights to do the same, and to take every opportunity to amplify the findings and recommendations of the Amnesty International report.
For access to the full 280-page report in English and other languages, link.
Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council
Covid 19 report forJanuary 23 to February 5, 2022
Starting the week of January 23, a dramatic rise in cases in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Ofer Prison near Ramallah revealed that the Omicron variant had spread throughout Palestine, while Israel was still grappling with its fifth wave of infection and debating the pros and cons of a second booster. One million doses of vaccine arrived in Gaza, courtesy of the United Arab Emirates and Mohammed Dahlan, strongman opponent of Abbas, probably seeking political points in view of future elections. In Gaza, “Low vaccination rates, and shortages of staff and equipment, are likely to cause the virus to spread even more rapidly throughout one of the most densely-populated areas in the world” (states a Palestinian health official), along with the effects of cold winter weather and lack of electricity. The West Bank extended its state of emergency, first called in March 2020.
The following week, in the oPt there was a clear surge in cases driven by Omicron (numbers are thought to be vastly undercounted) which is placing immense pressures on Palestinian health services and many hospitals remain operating close to capacity. While numbers are sharply rising, death rates remain low, probably due to the Omicron’s tendency to cause less severe disease and to the high percentage of youth in the population.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has documented the pandemic’s gendered impact on women’s employment, livelihood, and safety in Gaza. Women have been at a significant disadvantage due to gender-based discrimination and increasing challenges in the home, at work, and in the political and legal arenas. Women working in healthcare and social work were affected by unequal pay compared to males, and women working in business and markets suffered disproportionately negative impacts from increasing pandemic related constraints and closures. Women in the home suffered from increasing restrictions of movement which heightened their risk for gender-based violence at a time when men had rising rates of unemployment and frustration.
In trying to decipher the vaccination rates, WHO reported that 54% of the population in the oPt has received the first vaccine dose, but Reuters reported that 36.6% of the population is fully vaccinated, meaning two doses. These numbers are actually in close agreement in terms of numbers of doses administered, but do not give a clear picture as to what percentage are fully vaccinated and perhaps boosted. The infection rate is so high that schools in the West Bank are closing for 10 days.
As of February 5, 2022
Israel 3,111,307
West Bank (including EJ) 327,114 (2/2 MAP) 309,200 (WHO)
East Jerusalem NA
for Jerusalem governorate NA
Gaza 215,935 ( MOH) 208,046 (2/2 MAP), 215,000 (WHO)
Total oPt 571,054 ( Reuters Covid 19 tracker), 574,100 (WHO) 535,160 (2/2 MAP)
As of January 29, 2022
Israel 2,705,103
West Bank (excl EJ) NA
East Jerusalem NA
for Jerusalem governorate NA
Gaza 198,779 (1/28 MOH)
Total oPt 510,372 ( Reuters Covid 19 tracker), 504,992 (1/28 WHO) 516,059 (Palestine News & Info Agency)
As of January 22, 2022
Israel 2,168,016
West Bank (excl EJ) 246,015 (Coronavirus – Covid 19 surveillance system)
East Jerusalem 30,945 (Coronavirus – Covid 19 surveillance system) (unchanged in 3 weeks ? accuracy)
for Jerusalem governorate 43,174 (Coronavirus – Covid 19 surveillance system)
Gaza 192,209 (1/19 MOH), 192,860 (Coronavirus – Covid 19 surveillance system)
Total 480,583 (1/21 Reuters Covid 19 tracker), 480,583 (1/21 WHO) 482,049( Corona-Covid 19 surveillance system)
January 24 Occupied territories & Israel
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society documented the outbreak of over 100 cases of COVID-19 among Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Ofer Israeli occupation prison alone, noting the danger in light of Israel’s systematic and routine medical negligence of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Since April 2021, Palestinian prisoners’ civil society institutions and the Palestinian Authority’s Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs alone have documented over 530 cases of COVID-19 among Palestinian male and female prisoners and detainees across Israeli occupation prisons. Moreover, vulnerable Palestinian prisoners face an increased and imminent risk of severe illness if contracted with COVID-19.
Addameer
January 26 Gaza
One million doses of coronavirus vaccine arrived in Gaza from the United Arab Emirates, the latest donation facilitated by an exiled rival of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Mohammed Dahlan, a Gaza native now based in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, was once a top Palestinian Authority official who served as Abbas’s security chief in the territory before its takeover by Hamas in 2007. The same route was used for previous shipments organized by Dahlan, who has increasingly sought to position himself as a benefactor for the Palestinian people.
Dahlan had been expected to emerge as a key player from Palestinian elections scheduled for last year, but the polls were postponed indefinitely by Abbas in a move that also infuriated Hamas.
January 27 Gaza
A United Arab Emirates medical convoy of one million COVID-19 vaccines reached the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing on 1/26, state news agency WAM said. The report said the Sputnik shots were the biggest medical support convoy from the UAE to the Palestinian strip since the start of the pandemic. Palestinian authorities say only a third of Gaza’s residents are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
One month after the first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was discovered, Gaza is now in the midst of a fourth wave of the pandemic. On January 26, 1,250 new cases of the virus were confirmed – a sharp increase compared to the 177 cases just seven days ago. The World Health Organization is warning that the peak of this fast-spreading Omicron surge is still to come.
“This is a very worrying development and healthcare workers are fearful that this new wave could overwhelm Gaza’s health services,” said Mahmoud Shalabi, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)’s Senior Program Manager in Gaza. “Low vaccination rates, and shortages of staff and equipment, are likely to cause the virus to spread even more rapidly throughout one of the most densely-populated areas in the world.”
Medical Aid for Palestinians
January 27, West Bank
Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas extended the state of emergency in the occupied West Bank for another 30 days following an increase in the number of coronavirus infections, Wafa news agency has reported. Health Minister Mai Al-Kaila said that 2,802 new cases have been confirmed in the occupied Palestinian territories, along with two deaths. She also reported that 445 people have recovered from the virus. Fifty-nine Covid-19 patients are in intensive care, including 21 on ventilators. Gaza, meanwhile, has reported 1,250 new cases and five deaths.
The coronavirus pandemic led to the PA imposing a lockdown for nine consecutive months in an effort to stem the spread of the virus. A 30-day state of emergency was declared on 5 March 2020, and has been renewed monthly ever since.
January 28 Gaza
Data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Of note, total doses of vaccine received in Gaza: 1,957,960 -Total number of vaccinated citizens: 580,226. Population over 2.1 million with 2/3 under 25.
January 28 Occupied territories
The average number of new infections reported daily in the Palestinian territories has reached a new high of 4,045. There have been 510,372 infections and 5,081 reported deaths in oPt since the beginning of the pandemic.
Palestinian territories have administered at least 3,425,379 doses of COVID vaccines; assuming the need for two doses per person (but no boosters, as widely recommended), that’s enough to have vaccinated about 36.6% of the population. During the last week reported, Palestinian territories averaged about 3,012 doses administered each day. At that rate, it will take a further 36.6 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population.
Graphic representation of the pandemic reveals clear new spike in cases in Palestine with 27,560 new cases in past 24 hours.
Worldmeter
January 29 Gaza
A Palestinian health official on 1/28 said the Gaza Strip is passing through a “difficult and catastrophic” situation due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
“The infection curve is rising at an accelerating and unprecedented rate,” Fathi Abu Warda, an adviser to the Palestinian minister of health, told reporters in Gaza, adding that 95 patients are hospitalized with 63 in critical condition, and the occupancy rate of intensive care beds reached 56%.
48% of the admitted patients in the hospitals in the Gaza Strip “are cases infected with Omicron.”
“The current cold weather that hits the Palestinian territories and the lack of power in the Gaza Strip that reaches 12 hours blackout per day amid a shortage of warming means” have helped the spread of the virus, he said.
Business Standard Special on Coronavirus
January 29 Occupied territories
Six people have died of coronavirus in Palestine in the last 24 hours as 5687 new cases were recorded, said Minister of Health Mai Alkaila.
She said the six deaths were recorded in the West Bank where 2432 new cases were confirmed and 800 patients recovered, while 2720 new cases were recorded in East Jerusalem.
The Gaza Strip recorded 535 new cases and 105 recoveries.
Alkaila said 156 corona patients are currently getting treatment in hospitals and 75 are in intensive care, while 24 patients are on ventilators.
February 2 Gaza
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights issued “Navigating Through the Pandemic: Gender-Specific Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Women in Gaza.” The report provides an overview of the gendered impact of COVID-19 in Gaza, followed by a discussion of the pandemic’s impact on women’s employment, livelihood, emotional health and safety. Women have been at a significant disadvantage due to gender-based discrimination and increasing challenges in the home, at work, and in the political and legal arenas. Women working in healthcare and social work have also been affected by unequal pay compared to males and women working in business and markets suffered disproportionately negative impacts from increasing pandemic related constraints. Women in the home suffer from increasing restrictions of movement which heightened their risk for gender-based violence at a time when men have rising rates of unemployment and frustration. The core of the report includes narrative accounts from women in Gaza, and ends with a set of recommendations for the protection of women and girls in Gaza.
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
February 2 Occupied territories
MAP’s more recent support has included providing continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) respirators, oxygen generators, and essential medicines and disposables to Gaza’s hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients with severe breathing difficulties.
Currently there have been 535,160 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the oPt and 5,104 deaths. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, 327,114 cases have been confirmed. There have been 3,334 deaths in the West Bank including East Jerusalem. A recent surge in COVID-19 cases placed immense pressures on Palestinian health services in the West Bank and many hospitals remain operating close to capacity.
In Gaza 208,046 cases have been reported and sadly 1,770 deaths.
According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 1.88 million people have received their first vaccinationin the oPt, including 1.29 million in the West Bank and 587.8k in Gaza, amounting to approximately 54% of the Palestinian population.
February 3 Occupied territories
Palestinians are facing a winter coronavirus surge driven by the Omicron variant, placing stress on the medical system. The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry reported over 70,000 active cases in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, more than twice the number at the height of previous surges, as West Bank hospitals reached 85% capacity.
Palestinians are facing a winter coronavirus surge driven by the Omicron variant, placing stress on the medical system even though vaccines are widely available.
The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry reported over 70,000 active cases in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip [on 2/3], more than twice the number at the height of previous surges.
The real figure is likely much higher, as Omicron tends to cause milder symptoms, especially in vaccinated patients, and many people are testing at home.
At least 268 people have been hospitalized in the parts of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority, including 80 in intensive care and 24 people on ventilators. Gaza currently has at least 63 serious cases.
The PA has reported at least 4,859 deaths in the West Bank and Gaza since the start of the pandemic.
[With hospitals at] about 85 percent capacity. “It’s a dangerous sign, and a sign that the worst is yet to come.”
(Same article appeared in the Washington Post on 2/4)
February 5 Occupied territories
The average number of new infections reported in Palestinian territories each day reaches a new high: COVID-19 infections in Palestinian territories are at their peak — the highest daily average reported — now at 8,668 new infections reported each day.
There have been 571,054 infections and 5,144 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began.
Palestinian territories have administered at least 3,425,379 doses of COVID vaccines; assuming the need for two doses per person (but no boosters, as widely recommended), that’s enough to have vaccinated about 36.6% of the population.
During the last week reported, Palestinian territories averaged about 3,012 doses administered each day. At that rate, it will take a further 36.6 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population. [These data on vaccinations remain unchanged from last week as new infections have peaked and deaths increased; this may be a data artifact if current data were not available].
Detailed WHO data on total, active, and recovered cases. While numbers are sharply rising, the death rate remains low.
Eight people have died of Covid-19 in Palestine in the last 24 hours as the overall number of recorded cases has declined, today said the Ministry of Health.
It said six deaths were recorded in the West Bank where 1737 new cases were confirmed and 5883 patients have recovered, while two deaths were recorded in the Gaza Strip, 1314 new cases confirmed, and 270 patients recovered.
The Ministry said 264 Covid-19 patients are getting treatment in hospitals and 105 are in intensive care, while 26 patients are on ventilators.
WAFA
Schools in the West Bank will close for 10 days because of rising coronavirus cases, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said. Classes will continue remotely, and the Palestinian government is currently not considering a full lockdown despite a major spike in cases caused by the Omicron variant, al-Kaila said.
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This timely article brings to mind the following:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-palestinian-israel-children-idUSBRE95J0UJ20130620
Reuters, 6/20/2013
“Palestinian children tortured, used as shields by Israel” by Stephanie Nebehay
Excerpts:
“A UN human rights body accused Israeli forces…of mistreating Palestinian children, including by torturing those in custody and using others as human shields.
“Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 war, are routinely denied registration of their birth and access to health care, decent schools and clean water, the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child said.
“‘Palestinian children arrested by (Israeli) military and police are systematically subject to degrading treatment, and often to acts of torture, are interrogated in Hebrew, a language they did not understand, and sign confessions in Hebrew in order to be released…’ “
“Kirsten Sandberg, a Norwegian expert who chairs the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, said the report was based on facts, not the political opinions of its members. ‘We look at what violations of children’s rights are going on within Israeli jurisdiction,…’
“‘Hundreds of Palestinian children have been killed and thousands injured over the reporting period as a result of (Israeli) military operations, especially in Gaza…”
“It voiced deep concern at the ‘continuous use of Palestinian children as human shields…’ “