With the amount of movement and interaction increasing in Bethlehem, it seems like a ticking time bomb in the city, and inevitably the rest of the West Bank.

The Israeli government has been widely criticized for its use of cellular geolocation and other “counter-terrorism” technology to track the whereabouts of patients who tested positive for coronavirus.

Despite the global coronavirus pandemic, Israel has stepped its arrest of Palestinian children in the occupied territory, a new report from Defense for Children International – Palestine says.

For the first time in seven weeks, it finally seems like people have something to look forward to, and something to get their minds off of the coronavirus.

The first case of coronavirus was reported in a Bethlehem refugee camp, sparking concerns over the potentially devastating effects an outbreak could have an overcrowded and underserved camp.

Since the coronavirus outbreak began on March 5th, Israeli forces have arrested 357 Palestinians, among them 48 minors and four women.

At a time when Palestinians would usually be flooding the markets doing Ramadan shopping and hanging festive lights outside their homes, the streets are empty, and the usual excitement and anticipation has been replaced with an air of sadness.

WhoProfits: “The COVID-19 global public health emergency has given rise to heightened forms of surveillance in the name of public safety. The experience of controlling, repressing and surveilling an occupied population has long been at the core of the so-called ‘Israeli advantage’ in the Homeland Security market.”

Palestinians are being overwhelmed with joy and sadness as Easter holidays and the beginning of Ramadan, times of celebration and togetherness, are being spent under quarantine.

There is growing concern among Palestinian activists and ordinary citizens that, while they are being forced to stay at home, Israel is working harder than ever to steal their land, and enforce President Trump’s Deal of the Century.