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Nearly 150 Healthcare Workers and Organizations Call on Israel to Supply Vaccines to oPt

As coronavirus infections and deaths spike in the West Bank and Gaza, nearly 150 healthcare workers, legal experts and organizations support the petition of human rights groups, including PHRI, at the Supreme Court, and demand that Israel immediately secure a supply of vaccines to the Palestinian population.

Photo by Activestills

As COVID-19-related mortality and morbidity rates in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) have risen to unprecedented levels, we, the undersigned health and human rights experts and organizations, call on Israel to provide access to vaccines to all people under its jurisdiction, including as a result of its exercise of effective control over them, as mandated by international humanitarian law, international human rights law andiiì epidemiological needs. COVID-19 is a global pandemic and requires a worldwide effort to ensure vaccine equity between Global North and Global South countries. The UN Human Rights Council has recognized this in its consensus resolution on “Ensuring equitable, affordable, timely and universal access for 3rd countries to vaccines in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic”.

The legal obligation to ensure vaccine access is even more critical in the case of Israel and the oPt, where Israel, as the Occupying Power, is legally and morally obligated to provide the vaccines to Palestinians. There are now 27 deaths a day in the oPt due to COVID-19, and the percentage of positive tests stands at 20%. According to the World Health Organization, many West Bank hospitals are now at 115% capacity and, as a result, some have stopped accepting cancer patients. The Palestinian death toll has exceeded 2,500 in total, and the mortality rate is currently 1.1%, significantly higher than Israel’s.

Meanwhile, only 135,000 vaccine doses, intended for only 67,500 people, have been provided to Palestinians in the oPt, less than 1.5% of the Palestinian population. At the same time, Israel has vaccinated almost 5.2 million people: over half of its population. Directly, Israel provided only 2,000 of the vaccines that have been provided to the oPt, with the rest donated by other countries or provided through the COVAX mechanism.

Israel’s legal obligations — as asserted by over 30 Palestinian, Israeli and international health and human rights organizations — derive from its status as an Occupying Power and the extent of its control over the oPt. The ongoing occupation grievously impacts the functioning of the Palestinian health care system, fragmented between the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with severe restrictions on the movement of patients, equipment and medical staff and a chronic shortage of skilled workforce, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. The Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War specifically provides that an Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring “the adoption and application of the prophylactic and preventive measures necessary to combat the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics” (art. 56). The Convention also notes that protected persons must “if their health so requires it, receive medical attention and hospital treatment to the same extent as the nationals of the State concerned” (art. 38). Under the Oslo Accords, any transfer of competences related to the healthcare sector to the Palestinian Authority cannot and does not relieve Israel of its legal obligations.

There is also a public health need for Israel to provide the vaccine to Palestinians as daily contacts between Palestinians and Israelis mean that the health of both peoples are inextricably entwined. Israeli public health figures have already indicated that there is a public health need to vaccinate Palestinians, which Israel has acknowledged by vaccinating more than 100,000 Palestinian workers who enter Israel or its illegal settlements on a daily basis.

Providing vaccines to Palestinians in the oPt will reduce the spread of COVID-19 and save the lives of Palestinians and Israelis. It will allow Palestinian residents to resume their lives – to work, study, access medical treatment, and to reunite with loved ones. It is also Israel’s legal obligation as an Occupying Power and an obligation under the right to health for Israel to guarantee vaccine access to all without discrimination.

To sign the statement, please send an email, with your official title, to [email protected]

Health and Human Rights Organizations:

  • American Muslim Health Professionals
  • Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
  • EuroMed Rights
  • International Committee of Jurists
  • International Federation of Health and Human Rights Workers
  • International Society for Social Pediatrics and Child Health
  • Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council
  • Medecins du Monde France
  • Physicians for Human Rights
  • Première Urgence Internationale

Health Professionals and Legal Experts:

  • Mayada Akil, MD, USA
  • Mohammad Aldalou, MD, AUG Faculty of Medicine, Palestine
  • Ross Andelman, MD, Pediatric and Adult Psychiatrist, Canada
  • Yara M. Asi, Post-Doctoral Scholar, University of Central Florida/Al Shabaka/Arab Center Washington DC, USA
  • Alberto Barbieri, General Coordinator, Medici Per Idiritti Umani-MEDU, Italy
  • Heather Barnett, MD, USA
  • Ellen Benoit, National Development and Research Institutes, USA
  • Trude Bennett, Public Health Advocate, Jewish Voice for Peace, USA
  • Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC (Hon), Human Rights Lawyer, Bindmans LLP, UK
  • Jeffrey Boro, Lawyer, USA
  • Laura Botwinick, MS, Director, Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy      University of Chicago, USA
  •  Bill Bowring, Professor of Law, UK
  • Gisela Cardozo, Vicepresident Permanent Assembly for Human Rights, APDH Argentina, Argentina
  • James C.Cobey, MD, FACS, Surgeon, G4 Alliance for Surgery and PHR, USA
  • Stanley Cohen, Attorney at law, USA
  • Janet Cousens, CEO, Act for Peace, Australia
  • Nadav Davidovitch, M.D. Professor of Public Health, Ben Gurion University and Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians, Israel
  • Peter Draper, MD, MPHm physician and public health advocate, USA
  • Mona Elshafie, MD, UK
  • Jennifer Erb-Downward, Senior Research Associate, University of Michigan, USA
  • Gene Feder, Professor of Primary Care, Bristol Medical School, UK
  • Maxine Fookson, RN, MN, USA
  • Matthew Fowler, RN, UK
  • Samuel R Friedman, Research Professor, Dept of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, USA
  • Mads Frilander, Country Director, DanChurchAid, Palestine
  • Gayle Galletta , M.D., University of Massachusetts, USA
  • Emily Galper, Public Health Consultant, USA
  • Kristina Gemzell Danielsson, Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
  • Julie Goffin, Attorney at law, USA
  • Jennifer Grossman, RN, Executive Director, Nurses for Social Justice, USA
  • Jeffrey Haas, Civil Rights Attorney, Santa Feans for Justice in Palestine, USA
  • Steffen Hagemann, Director, Heinrich-Boell-Stiftung Tel Aviv, Israel
  • Hans House, M.D., Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa, USA
  • Jane Heybroek, LLB, Barrister, UK
  • Huda Akil, PhD, Prof. of Psychiatry , University of California, USA
  • Marium Husain, MD, USA
  • Kiran Joshi, Physician , USA
  • Areej Kabat, Areej Kabat, Biologist, Sheba Medical Center, Israel
  • Glen Katon, Civil Rights Attorney, USA
  • Ann Louise Kinmonth, Professor of Medicine, Cambridge University, UK
  • Joseph C. Kolars, Professor and Board Member, Consortium of Universities for Global Health, USA
  • Jennifer Leaning, MD SMH, Senior Research Fellow, FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University, Boston, MA
  • Shmuel Lederman, PhD, Genocide Studies specialist, University of Haifa, Israel
  • Zohar Lederman, MD, Rambam Hospital, Israel
  • Rebecca Leff, MD, Mayo Clinic, USA
  • Noël Leifer, EMT supervisor, COVID Triage, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, USA
  • Janet Litherland, MD, Consultant Radiologist, Glasgow, Scotland
  • Margaret Lynch, Emeritus Professor of Community Paediatrics, UK
  • Jane Macaskill, MD, Consultant Surgeon, Scotland
  • Shelley Mann-Lev, Public Health Consultant, USA
  • Bettina Marx, Phd, Director, Heinrich Boell Foundation Palestine and Jordan, Ramallah
  • Shaista Meraj, MD, Consultant Radiologist, UK
  • Alan Meyers, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics, Emeritus Boston University School of Medicine, USA           
  • Bertha Mo, PhD, Adjunct Research Faculty, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton University, Canada
  • Nazia Mohammed, MD, Consultant Oncologist, UK.
  • Jessica Montell, Executive Director, HaMoked, Jerusalem
  • Mariana La Morgia, APDH, Argentina
  • Linda Rae Murray M.D. MPH, Past President, American Public Health Association, USA
  • Sophie Neuburg, Executive Director, Medact, UK
  • Ogechi Nwodim, M.D ., MPh, USA   
  • Peter Orris, MD, Chicago, IL
  • Liana Petruzzi, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, USA
  • Susan Power, Head of Legal Research and Advocacy, Al-Haq, Palestine
  • Shanti Raman, MBBS, MAE, PhD, FRACP, Director – Community Paediatrics, South Western Sydney, Australia       
  • Saed Ramzi, MD, UK
  • Leonard Rubenstein, Professor of the Practice, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Washington, DC
  • Alice Rothchild, MD, Harvard Medical School, USA
  • Rachel Rubin, MD, Senior Public Health Officer & Co-Lead, Cook County Department of Public Health, USA
  • Margie Schaps, Executive Director, Health & Medicine Policy Research Group     Chicago,  USA
  • Thomas Schmidt, General Secretary of the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH), Germany
  • Hina Shahid, MD, Chairperson Muslim Doctors Association & Allied Health Professionals, UK
  • Aimee Shalan, Chief Executive, Medical Aid for Palestinians, UK
  •  Ashwini Sharma, MD, UK
  • Barbara Shaw, Nurse Practitioner, USA
  • Tareq   Shrourou, Executive Director, Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights, UK
  • Malcolm Steinberg, MD, Director Public Health Programs, Faculty Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Canada
  • Kate Sugarman, MD, USA
  • Osama Tanous, MD and Public Health Scholar, The Galilee Society, USA
  • Sally Thorne, RN, Canada
  • Liz Tobin-Tyler, Health and Human Rights Lawyer, USA
  • Tony Waterston, MD, UK
  • Brendon Watson, MD-PhD, USA
  • Scott Weinstein, RN, USA
  • Philippa Whitford, MD, Member of UK Parliament, UK
  • Bram Wispelwey, MD, USA
  • Brian Wispelwey, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia, USA
  • Betty Wolder Levin, Professor Emerita, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York
  • Matthew K. Wynia, MD, FACS, Director, Center for Bioethics and Humanities Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Colorado School of Public Health           
  • Amy Zeidan, MD, Georgia Human Rights Clinic, USA

Medical Students:

  • Dania Abu-Jubara, Medical student, USA
  • Reem Al-Atassi, Medical student, USA
  • Rishab Chawla, Medical student, USA
  • Wesley Chou, Medical student, USA
  • Sari Cohen, Medical student, Israel
  • Elizabeth Cosby, Medical student, USA
  • Parsa Erfani, Medical student, USA
  • Seth Garrett, Medical student, USA
  • Danna Ghafir, Medical student, USA
  • Sarah Ghalayini, Medical student, USA
  • Farris Haidary, Medical student, USA
  • Sameena Hameed, Medical student, USA
  • Olivia   Herrington, Medical student, USA
  • Vaishvi Jhaveri, Medical student, USA
  • Ishara Lareef, Medical student, USA
  • Alannah Lejeune, PhD student, USA
  • Allison Lenselink, Medical student, USA
  • Spandana Mandaloju, Medical student, USA
  • Racheed Mani, Medical student, USA
  • Michele Naideck, Medical student, Israel
  • Michele Naideck, Medical student, Israel
  • Ellen Penn, Medical student, USA
  • Dana Potashner, Medical student, Israel
  • Liat Poupko, Medical student, Israel
  • Anna Quinn, Medical student , USA
  • Tala Radejko, Medical student, USA
  • Ramya Radhakrishnan, Medical student, USA
  • Sabahat Rahman, Medical student, USA
  • Raymond Rosenbloom, Medical student, Israel
  • Marah Sakkal, Medical student, USA
  • Leah Sarah Peer, Medical student, Israel
  • Anahita Sattari, Medical student, USA
  • Rachel Steckbeck, Medical student, USA
  • Arvind Suresh, Medical student, USA
  • Raquel Weinberg, Medical student, Israel
  • Amanda Zhao, Medical student, USA

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