🌍🇵🇸 COVID-19 in Palestine: the Israeli occupation in times of a pandemic 🌍🇵🇸
👉The first COVID-19 cases in the Palestinian West Bank were reported on 5 March, and the Palestinian Authority swiftly imposed a full lockdown. The Palestinian economy and healthcare sector, which were already heavily constrained by the occupation, have faced tremendous pressure as a result of the health crisis. As of 4 June, 640 infections have been reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, of which 394 in the West Bank, 67 in Gaza and 179 in occupied East Jerusalem. The nearly 200,000 Palestinians working in Israel and the illegal settlements, are believed to be a major source of the infections so far confirmed in the West Bank.
👉For decades, the Israeli occupation has prevented a thorough development of the Palestinian healthcare system in the West Bank and Gaza. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing human rights violations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have been reported,, where Israeli efforts have prevented Palestinians’ access to healthcare. According to human rights groups, Israel has continuously undermined Palestinian efforts to prevent and mitigate the effects of the pandemic, for instance by halting the establishment of testing facilities, the confiscation of materials and the arrest of aid workers. Meanwhile, the Israeli authorities have used the state of emergency as a pretext to increase their oppressive measures against Palestinians.
👉On 19 June 2020, FFIPP Europe hosts a digital panel discussion on the current situation regarding COVID-19 in Palestine and the implications of the decades-long occupation by Israel. The discussion will focus on recent developments in the (mental) healthcare situation and the policies undertaken by the Palestinian Authority, the experiences of Palestinians in lockdown and the instrumentalisation of the global pandemic by Israel to reinforce its hold over Palestinian lives. We are honoured to be hosting Dr Samah Jabr, Inès Abdel Razek and Robert Swift as panellists and encourage the attendees to fuel the discussion by raising questions.
Samah Jabr is a Palestinian psychiatrist, psychotherapist and writer. She treats the psychological damage of the Israeli occupation, both at the individual and Palestinian community levels. She has directed the Medical Psychiatric Center 🏨 in Ramallah and is the current head of the Mental Health Service Unit in Palestine in addition to her work in the private sector as a clinician and trainer. She also works as a medical consultant to local and international NGOs (such as MSF and PMED) on the development and implementation of mental health programmes.
Inès Abdel Razek is the advocacy director of The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD). With her French and Palestinian background, she is a policy advisor with eight years of international experience 📊 in governmental cooperation and diplomacy for sustainable development. Inès Abdel Razek previously worked with the UN and other multilateral institutions. She served as an advisor to the Palestinian government from September 2017 to January 2019.
Robert Swift is a freelance journalist 🗞 and writer currently based in Jerusalem. After his graduation in Religion and International Relations, he served as a military intelligence analyst with the British Army. He then specialized in security issues and worked as correspondent for several media in Jerusalem (the Media Line, the Jerusalem Post notably).
🕗 Friday 19 June, starting 6:30 pm
⚠️ The event is free but registration is mandatory. The conference will take place on Zoom.
