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How Palestinians face occupation amid coronavirus

Steps taken by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to stop the spread of the COVID-19 disease, caused by the Coronavirus, give the impression that Palestine is able to function like any other sovereign country desperately fighting to preserve the well-being of its own people. Sadly, however, Palestine remains the exception, as the PA operates fully under a cruel Israeli military occupation that has no regard, whatsoever, for the lives of the Palestinian people. This matters in the case of the COVID-19 as it does in every aspect of Palestinian life. Indeed, for Palestinians, fighting an outbreak of the Coronavirus is not a straightforward matter, even if the dysfunctional PA facilities follow the instructions of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to the letter. more

Get involved in Israeli Apartheid Week activities

Join our Israeli Apartheid Week webinars: March 19th 2020, 6:30pm CET: Conversations on Apartheid: from South Africa to Palestine. A talk on racism during Israeli Apartheid Week More information April 2nd 2020, 3pm CET: United against racism with Rebecca Vilkomerson (more info coming soon)  April 6th 2020, 3pm CET: “Race in international law” with Noura Erakat (more info coming soon) Register your event   Worldwide groups in solidarity with Palestine are in the middle of mobilizing and organizing for Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), that will take place in most countries from the 16th until the 21st of March. Israeli Apartheid Week is an internationally coordinated series of events  that relies on progressive movements, groups and organizations fighting all forms of racism, racial discrimination, marginalization and oppression and promoting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) in the pursuit of Palestinian freedom, justice and equality. This year, IAW is a call

'Coronavirus-free' Gaza prepares for the worst

Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of  the novel coronavirus  spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with  some joking  that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario.  But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned.  "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible

Gaza closes travel crossings to protect population against virus

The authorities in the Gaza Strip on Saturday decided to close all border crossings with Israel and Egypt to passengers in both directions until further notice as part of precautions to protect the non-affected coastal enclave against the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) . The decision excluded people with life-threatening conditions that need urgent medical treatment outside Gaza. The decision was taken during a meeting between officials from government institutions and some major factions in Gaza The participants in the meeting also agreed on taking other preventative measures to safeguard the population against the global virus. The measures included a decision to retain the closure of schools, universities, kindergartens and other educational institutions until the end of March. more

‘I remember the knee in the crosshairs, bursting open’ – Israeli snipers boast of shooting ‘ducks’ in Gaza

Two days ago (Friday) a  piece  came out in Haaretz by Hilo Glazer, featuring stories from five anonymous snipers who told how they gunned down unarmed protesters at the March of Return near the Gaza perimeter fence. These accounts are a jaw-dropper, constituting some of the most enraging as well as depressing readings I can recall. The language of the perpetrators of these massacres is testimony to the moral depravity of these young soldiers, who still seem to believe they are fulfilling a sacred duty to defend their country, as well as a damning account of the state and society that supports them and their crimes. more

Video: Meet the Israeli activist suspected of ‘incitement to terror’ for protesting Israeli colonialism

From Mondoweiss – After about two months of detention, Israeli authorities released Israeli activist Jonathan Pollak on February 20. Pollak was arrested after right-wing group Ad Kan  filed a suit against him  for protesting in the West Bank and allegedly “attacking IDF soldiers”. During his detention, Pollak refused to pay a NIS 500 bail (around $145) set by a Jerusalem judge for, in Pollak’s words, refusing to “recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli system.”... Palestinian journalist Ahmad Al-Bazz interviewed Pollak following his release.

Israel cop filmed firing at Palestinian children through school gate

From MEMO – Israeli occupation forces shot sponge-tipped bullets at two Palestinian children in East Jerusalem in two separate incidents this week, reported Haaretz. Both incidents occurred in Issawiya, which has experienced almost a year of violent harassment by Israeli occupation forces. According to Haaretz, 16-year-old Mohamed Atia (pictured) “was shot Monday while standing in his schoolyard and his arm was fractured”. news

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'Coronavirus-free' Gaza prepares for the worst

Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of  the novel coronavirus  spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with  some joking  that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario.  But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned.  "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible

Boycott of New York diamond dealer launched to protest settlement construction

Members of Adalah NY call for boycott of Leviev for its crimes against Palestinians and South Africans New York, NY, May 9 – On the day before Mother’s Day, 40 New York human rights advocates gathered at the Leviev jewelry store on Madison Avenue and called on throngs of weekend Madison Avenue shoppers to boycott Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev over his companies’ construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in West Bank villages including Bil’in and Jayyous. Mother’s Day is one of the biggest jewelry shopping periods in the US annually. The New York protest came as controversy is growing in Norway over Norwegian government investments in Leviev’s company Africa-Israel . The New York protesters also commemorated Bassem Abu Rahma from Bil’in who was shot to death by Israeli soldiers last month during a peaceful protest against the construction on Bil’in’s land of Israel’s wall and of the Mattityahu East settlement by a Leviev company. Thanks to vivapalestina.us (not co

Support striking Palestinian quarry workers demanding their rights from Israeli employer

On 16 June, 35 Palestinian workers at Salit Quarries in Mishor Adumim (in area C, east of Jerusalem, in the Occupied West Bank) began a strike. The workers, organized with the independent union WAC-Ma'an, are demanding an end to exploitation and humiliation, and insist on signing a first collective agreement. Salit Quarries’ main customer is Readymix Industries (Israel). The total reliance of Salit Quarry on Readymix as their biggest and by far the most important customer puts responsibility on Readymix to make sure that their clients abides by labour laws and safeguards elementary rights for the workers of Salit. We call upon Readymix to urge the Salit management to terminate this unnecessary strike by signing the collective agreement with the workers and WAC-Ma’an. Click this protest link to send your message. The text of the message is as follows: I write to you to express my grave concern about the failure of Salit management to sign a collective agreement with the workers of