Arab towns in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, under the control of the Israeli authorities, face a heavy burden in the face of the emerging Corona virus, as the Israeli government deliberately neglects and excludes Palestinians in these towns from preventive measures to counter the spread of the virus.
This exception, to which approximately 5,000 Palestinians are exposed, includes medical examinations, quarantine, and important measures to prevent and spread serious disease, as well as an acute shortage in the provision of equipment and necessary and customized treatment for Palestinian towns, and the failure to allocate private clinics and treatment centers to detect coronary patients, As happened in the societies and towns that the Israelis live, in light of the worsening health crisis of the epidemic in Israel.
Israel recorded two deaths from the Corona virus, bringing the number of deaths to 10, while the number of infected people increased to 3035, according to the latest census released yesterday evening.
The ministry said in a statement published that the number of injuries in the country increased to 2,666, including 39 serious cases, 68 moderate cases, and 68 other similar cases of recovery.
Deliberate disregard
Yusuf Jabareen, Arab Representative in the Israeli Knesset, representative of the Joint Arab List of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, affirms that the Israeli government deliberately ignores the Palestinian towns in the Palestinian Galilee, the Triangle, and the Negev, from the measures to confront Corona in the country.
Jabareen says that the Palestinians in the Arab towns number about a quarter of the population of Israel, and yet they do not get the adequate procedures and services needed to confront Corona, as these towns suffer from a severe shortage in providing virus detection devices and equipment, as well as intensive treatments.
Lack of equality
Jabareen continues his speech to «Emirates Today», saying, “At the meeting held in the Knesset on Monday, 23 March of 2020, I called for the provision of the necessary medical examinations in our Arab towns, as well as the provision of examination devices that detect the disease, and also called for equipping Arab towns in preparation for any A possible exacerbation of the spread of the Corona epidemic, and these issues we also raised before the Israeli Ministry of Health and the Israeli Red Star of David, and yet the Arab towns do not yet have equal access to health services, compared to the Jewish towns. According to Jabarin, the Israeli government has opened a large testing center in major Jewish areas to confront the Corona virus, without this being done in Palestinian towns, in the context of not applying equality between Jews and Palestinians in the procedures to confront Corona, which is responsible for the Israeli Ministry of Health. Jabareen points out that the Israeli Ministry of Health has not yet established a single medical clinic in Arab towns to screen for people infected with Coronavirus, while 47 clinics are being established in Jewish towns.
Social solidarity
Faced with the danger of the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the Arab towns under Israeli control, after its spread in Israeli cities, the Palestinians did not stand idly before the deliberate Israeli neglect towards them, as the Palestinian towns witness cases of social solidarity, through the organization of Arab parties and local councils and volunteers, initiatives Social to face the virus. These cases of social solidarity emerged with citizens entering the home quarantine, which includes providing food products and distributing them to poor families and the elderly and those afflicted with chronic diseases, and setting up treatment and relief centers in the Arab towns of the Triangle and the Palestinian Galilee, and the Negev, in addition to providing psychological assistance and consultations.
The Israeli Ministry of Health did not establish a single clinic in the Arab towns, in order to detect "Corona", while 47 clinics were established in the Jewish towns.