“Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon warned on Tuesday that the Palestinian hospitals in the eastern side of the city are on the verge of collapse, and accused the Health Ministry of ignoring their needs in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman Tov, Leon wrote: ‘I would like to warn you regarding the serious shortage of medical equipment at the hospitals in East Jerusalem, particularly protective equipment and equipment to conduct coronavirus testing. This is despite repeated promises on the part of your [ministry].’”

“…COVID-19 has shed a glaring light on the detrimental impacts of Israel’s apartheid regime on the right to health of all Palestinians. International humanitarian law requires Israel, the occupying power, to ensure the food and medical supplies of Palestinians to the fullest extent possible, and to maintain medical services, public health, and hygiene in the occupied Palestinian territory, with particular reference to the adoption of preventive measures necessary to combat the spread of infectious diseases. At the same time, Israel is bound under international human rights law to uphold the right of Palestinians to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including the underlying determinants of health and well-being, which include the right to adequate food, water and sanitation, housing, and work, and ultimately require the realisation of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.”

“Mai al-Kaila, the Palestinian Authority (PA) ‘health minister’, said on Tuesday that 18 coronavirus patients from the Ramallah and Bethlehem districts had completely recovered, were sent home and ordered to remain in isolation for 14 days. Speaking at a press conference, al-Kaila said the number of cases of coronavirus in PA-assigned areas had reached 261, of whom 42 had recovered. One woman died from the disease. She added the PA obtained 10,000 coronavirus test kits with the assistance of the General Intelligence apparatus and its ‘civil affairs minister’ Hussein al-Sheikh. Meanwhile, the Gaza-based ‘health ministry’ reported the recovery of two coronavirus patients. The total number of patients who have recovered in Gaza stands at eight.” [Note the scare quotes challenging all terms that confer legitimacy on Palestinian political institutions].

“When people started to share the Facebook post “Dear world: How is the lockdown? – Gaza,” I felt uncomfortable. Though the posters sought to generate empathy for the 2 million Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip, the attempt to compare the closure that free citizens of the West are experiencing to the 13-year siege on the Strip is, at the very least, tasteless. Now that the virus has crossed the military checkpoints and 12 Palestinians have been diagnosed as infected, the distortion of this comparison is going to become tragically clear. Gaza residents will suffer not just from the natural complications the virus causes, but from the fact that the siege puts them at an extreme disadvantage in all three categories considered vital to battling the coronavirus epidemic: health services, social conditions that determine the level of health, and the ability to keep social distance from one another.”

“Palestinian clowns painted their faces and donned wigs, red noses and one new gimmick – surgical masks – to entertain children in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza amidst a coronavirus lockdown. Dozens of smiling children, some holding balloon animals, lined up along the street and peered down from balconies in Hebron’s Old City to take in the clowns’ tricks and pranks. ‘We wanted to come and visit the children, who are staying at home, and motivate them to remain at home’ to avoid getting sick, said Anas Alnather, 43, a Palestinian clown.”

“Al-Quds University in the Palestinian city of Jerusalem has succeeded in constructing a fully-computerised and low-cost medical ventilator to be used for patients infected with the coronavirus. The ventilator, which will be ready for production and widespread use after a final approval is issued by the Palestinian Standards Institute (PSI), has been designed to offer differing modes of breathing support, and can respond to varying emergency situations within intensive care units (ICUs) and field treatment centres.”

“Palestinians who want to ensure their permit to stay in Israel is still valid are required to install an app allowing the military to access data on their cellphone since army offices are closed due to the coronavirus.”

“When the new coronavirus reached Gaza, Alaa Qreiqea decided he would repurpose his children’s clothes factory to make protective suits. His workshop now produces about 400 suits a day, which are sold to essential workers inside the strip as well as in the West Bank and Israel.”

“It’s hard for Israeli Jews to be separated from loved ones due to the coronavirus. But their lockdown is temporary — for Palestinians, it’s endless.”

“Two Temple Mt. activists from the organization ‘Returning to the Mount’ were arrested with a lamb intended to be used as the Passover sacrifice and taken in for questioning. The arrest took place near the Binyamin Gate and released after being questioned.”

“Some 20 young settlers from the West Bank settlements clashed with police late Monday as they refused to go into isolation despite having had direct contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient. The members of the so-called Hilltop Youth were taken by military vehicle to Jerusalem to spend their isolation period in one of the city’s motels designated for that use, but apparently refused to stay in separate rooms as per government directives.”

“The army on Monday night quarantined a group of 20 far-right activists together in a tent on a deserted West Bank hilltop, in violation of the government’s coronavirus guidelines, which require those who come in contact with confirmed carriers to isolate on their own. The move came after the extremist youngsters, known as hilltop youth, trashed a bus that was ferrying them to an isolation hostel in the south, police said, confirming a report by the Kan public broadcaster. The activists were transferred to a makeshift isolation site in Metzoke Dragot, near the Dead Sea.” [by way of contrast, see: Btselem – During the Coronavirus crisis, Israel confiscates tents designated for clinic in the Northern West Bank]

“The coronavirus lockdown affords a unique opportunity to explore landmarks like the Western Wall Tunnels while staying at home.”

“Leaders of the Arab community in Israel, including Knesset members from the Joint List, claim that Arab citizens face discrimination in testing for the novel coronavirus…the number of tests allocated for Arab towns and villages is disturbingly lower than for Jewish areas. Speaking about testing, Knesset member Yousef Jabareen (Joint List), a resident of Umm al-Fahm, told Al-Monitor, ‘It is incredible that as Knesset members, we had to pressure the Health Ministry to get what any Jewish citizen can take for granted in Israel.’”

“A senior Arab-Israeli official told Israel Hayom that it was only in recent days that the Health Ministry began to consult with senior officials in the sector about how to successfully weather Ramadan with minimal impact on religious customs but maximum compliance with public health directives. Joint Arab List Knesset members were also weighing in on the issue, said the official, who added that there is a consensus about the need for a comprehensive information campaign. Still, at this time, no government plan has been devised to address the challenge that Ramadan poses with respect to the pandemic. ‘What we’re seeing in Bnei Brak is nothing compared to what can happen in the Arab sector during Ramadan,’ warned the official, referring to the ultra-Orthodox city in central Israel under military-enforced quarantine. The measure proved necessary after the city’s residents refused to adhere to Health Ministry directives, and the community turned into a coronavirus hotspot.”

“In a recent meeting about Covid-19 with a delegation of doctors who are Palestinian citizens of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: ‘Unfortunately, instructions are not strictly adhered to in the Arab sector … I ask for the cooperation of all Arab citizens of Israel. I ask you, for your sake and for the sake of our shared future, please follow the orders, [otherwise] a lot of people will die, and these deaths could be prevented with your help.’ Clearly, controlling the proliferation of coronavirus depends on the commitment of people to self-isolate, but this is not what Netanyahu meant. Rather, he was continuing his racist incitement against Palestinian citizens, suggesting that deaths would be ‘your’ responsibility.”

“21% of the medical workers in Israel are Arabs, so are 47% of the pharmacists, a new campaign asks why should they not enjoy representation in government.”

“Palestinian students in Israel are being disproportionately disadvantaged by the switch to remote online learning in light of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Supreme Court petition filed on Sunday by the Palestinian human rights group Adalah and other NGOs. The petition, which cites figures from the Follow-Up Committee for Arab Education, notes that around half of Palestinian students in the country are unable to connect to online classes, while roughly a third do not have access to a computer or tablet. In unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Naqab/Negev, the situation is even worse.”

“Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz said Wednesday he remains committed to forming a ‘national emergency government’ after calling off coalition talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party this week, but there’s a limit to how much he’ll compromise to do so. In a Facebook post, Gantz put the blame for the stalled talks on Netanyahu, saying the sides had nearly reached a coalition agreement when Likud sought to change an understanding reached on judicial appointments. ‘We informed them that we want a national emergency government, but not at any cost,’ Gantz wrote. [Note that sticking point is not annexation but rather judicial appointments, which is directly related to efforts to prevent Israeli courts from getting in the way of settlement-related policies like the “Regulation Law,” the law that allows Israel to erase Palestinian land ownership rights in order to hand over land to settlers].  ; the sides apparently are in agreement on annexation]. Also see: Jerusalem Post – Gantz: Netanyahu prevented government’; Jerusalem Post – Gantz, Netanyahu to continue coalition talks after Passover; and YNet – Blue & White and Likud trade blows over unity government delay; Shomi Eldar in Al-Monitor – Netanyahu puts settlers before Israel, again; +972 – Netanyahu’s rivals have forgotten the value of a Knesset opposition

“Netanyahu must decide whether he wishes his legacy to be that of the prime minister who extended our sovereignty throughout our homeland, or the one who missed this once-in-a-generation opportunity. The Likud must decide whether it is truly committed to judicial reform, or whether it is content to give activist jurists the green light to continue implementing their agenda.”

“MK Meirav Michaeli (Labor) was interviewed on Reshet Bet and made it clear that she intends to continue to fight to prevent her party from joining the coalition. ‘I have said and will keep saying that I will vote against such a government if it is formed,’ she said. ‘I’m in a huge battle for the Labor party, trying to prevent it from making such a scandalous move. I have no doubt whatsover that if the party’s members were allowed to vote on this matter, they would vote against it. There is a clear majority in the party against taking such a step.’”

“More than 130 Jewish American leaders have signed onto a letter spearheaded by Israel Policy Forum imploring Blue and White leaders Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi to use their leverage in unity talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent the next government from moving ahead and applying sovereignty to Jewish communities in the West Bank.”

“Prime Minister’s Office says Israel willing to take ‘constructive action’ vis-à-vis Gaza Strip’s rulers after Hamas military leader says the issue of a prisoner swap can be advanced regardless of the coronavirus crisis.” Also see: Jerusalem Post –  Hamas: We are flexible on a prisoner swap with Israel; Ha’aretz – Israel Says Ready for Immediate Negotiations With Hamas on Prisoner Exchange Deal; TOI – Hamas official says group willing to enter talks for prisoner swap immediately

“Egypt’s Foreign Minister and the Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation have agreed on the importance of resuming peace negotiations, Anadolu has reported. Sameh Shoukry and Saeb Erekat also agreed on the need to maintain their mutual efforts to combat the coronavirus Covid-19 outbreak. ‘It is important to prepare for the resumption of the negotiation process [between the Palestinians and Israelis] as soon as the Coronavirus crisis ends,’ agreed the two officials. They spoke by telephone on Tuesday. A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry in Cairo confirmed that they also discussed developments in the virus crisis, and possible ways of cooperation in order to curb the spread of the pandemic.”

“Barghouti said that Israel should not be allowed to use the coronavirus crisis to maintain relations with the Palestinian Authority and with other Arab states. He also said, according to the Jerusalem Post: ‘if you use medical equipment from Israel — it’s not a problem. Cooperating with Israel against the virus – to begin with, we do not consider it normalization.’ The same is true of other medical breakthroughs, he said. ‘If Israel finds a cure for cancer, for example, or any other virus, then there is no problem in cooperating with Israel to save millions of lives,’ he said. He pointed out, the Jerusalem Post reported, that ‘up until now, we have not been in a situation where we need Israel urgently and no one else can save us but Israel. If that will happen, saving lives is more important than anything else.’”