Palestinian and pro-Palestine activists call on to urgently make COVID-19 vaccine available
Palestinian and pro-Palestine activists have launched yesterday a campaign, urging human rights organizations and international community to make COVID-19 vaccine available for Palestine in order to begin to reverse the worsening COVID situation.
Tweeting on the hashtag #IsraeliVaccinationApartheid, the activists exposed “Israeli apartheid and racial discrimination for refusing to provide Palestinians with COVID-19 vaccination doses.”
This came after ‘Israel’ refused to give Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza strip access to the vaccine while about 19% of its 8.9 million population has received a dose of the vaccine.
The activists said that ‘Israel’, as an occupying power, has a “moral and humanitarian obligation” to ensure access for Palestinians living under the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza strip.
Under the fourth Geneva Convention, occupying forces are responsible for providing healthcare to the population of the occupied area.
Most states as well as the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly, the International Court of Justice, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, consider ‘Israel’ to be an occupying power.
As of 3 January 2021, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 159,034 Palestinians in the OPT, including East Jerusalem, have so far tested positive for coronavirus since the first confirmed case was reported in March 2020.
There have been nearly 1,600 deaths related to COVID-19 among Palestinians in the OPT since the beginning of the pandemic.
Recently, Amnesty International has called ‘Israel” to provide coronavirus vaccine doses to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
“The Israeli government must stop ignoring its international obligations as an occupying power and immediately act to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are equally and fairly provided to Palestinians living under its occupation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,” said Amnesty International.
While Israeli settlers living in the occupied West Bank will be vaccinated, israeli vaccination campaign excluded millions of Palestinians living in blocked Gaza strip and the occupied West Bank.
Is this medical apartheid?#IsraeliVaccinationApartheid pic.twitter.com/0F2rShHjWx
— Noor Abd AlHamid (@NourMurtaja9) January 12, 2021
While Israel celebrates a record-setting vaccination drive, millions of Palestinians living under Israeli control in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will receive no vaccine. #IsraeliVaccinationApartheid pic.twitter.com/O5l4DkfMEA
— Abdelkarim 🇵🇸 (@KareemK96) January 13, 2021
Israel has so far inoculated over 2 million of its population against coronavirus, including prison guards, but it is refusing to vaccinate Palestinians under its control. #IsraeliVaccinationApartheid pic.twitter.com/I2MifraDh2
— رَوانااا🍁 (@RawanAlawar) January 13, 2021
While Israel topped the list of fastest countries in vaccination against Covid-19, It ignored the Palestinians and all international laws, which states that ‘Israel’ must provide health care for the Palestinians as an occupying force.#IsraeliVaccinationApartheid @ICRC @UNISPAL pic.twitter.com/Hy4eYMG9Jf
— Samarabomustafa🇵🇸 (@samarabomustafa) January 12, 2021
