A crisis within a crisis: COVID-19 in Palestine

I am sure that you are fed up of hearing about the coronavirus. We keep asking ourselves, when are things going to return back to normal? What will the new normality be? When can I go to the pub? When can I get my haircut? Yet in some countries, this pandemic is better than their usual normality. A common opinion among public health specialists and politicians is that the virus has made people equal. It infects individuals despite their financial status, position of power or geographical location. But does it?

This virus is discriminatory. In Israel and Palestine, they are fighting this pandemic in the midst of fighting and confrontation in the West Bank and Gaza, with ever-rising casualties. Israel's endless attacks on the Gaza Strip has meant that hospitals have been destroyed and civilians killed. Additionally, how can Palestines social distance in overpopulated locations? There are 19 refugee camps in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are overcrowded with more than 240,000 Palestinians. In Jerusalem's old city, Palestinian families of multiple generations live in residences intended for single-family use. We have to be thankful that we can social distance. We can prevent getting the virus, whereas in some places, it is inevitable they will catch it.

Apart from the bombs falling down on hospitals in Palestine, they have continuous electricity cuts by Israel which impairs hospitals abilities. They are not only having to overcome the hardship of a pandemic, but will have to tackle the difficulties and occupation of lands in years to come. For the people of Palestine, the emotions encompassing the pandemic is nothing extraordinary. Our physical and mental stress that we are experiencing in lockdown is what they have experienced throughout the years protracted conflict. 

In the Gaza strip and West Bank, they are being provided with limited supplies by Israel. Areas are being put on lockdown which will add additional socioeconomic consequences to an already damaged region. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, a six-month shutdown would lead Palestine’s GDP to shrink by 7.1 percent, which would represent a negative shock among the largest annual contractions recorded since reliable statistics began in 1994. With very limited control over its economy, the Palestinian Government does not have access to the conventional monetary and fiscal tools necessary to remedy the crisis. These are in the hands of Israel.

There is hope

However, we have to see the positives of COVID-19 in these regions. There is slight hope that this virus has reduced some violence in the conflict between Palestine and Israel and forged some limited cooperation. Israeli and Palestinian officials have confirmed the existence of a joint operations centre and mechanisms to share information and coordinate actions. Additionally, Israel has delivered limited numbers of test kits to Gaza and the West Bank, has held training for Palestinian medical workers and promised to supply more assistance if needed.

Israel has even given temporary permission to between 35,000 to 45,000 Palestinian labourers to live in Israel during the pandemic- some of whom are from virus-plagued worksites. These efforts have been praised by authorities around the world, with Nickolay Mlandenov, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, telling the Security Council that the past month has witnessed "inspiring examples" of cooperation across conflict lines in a common battle to contain the coronavirus outbreak - and opening fresh prospects for progress in the quest for peace. He states, "I strongly urge Israeli and Palestinian leaders to seize the moment to take steps towards peace and to reject unilateral moves that will only deepen the wedge between the two peoples and undermine the chances for peace."

Even some factories in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have started to manufacture face masks to distribute. Both regions have been distributing food and money to each other. Perhaps their history of occupation are making them more accustomed to making tough decisions, reacting quickly and demonstrating solidarity. They have even been praised by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, for maintaining "a close, unprecedented cooperation on efforts aimed at containing the novel coronavirus." The Palestinian Authority has also accepted $25 million in previously withheld tax money to ease the economic impact of the pandemic on Palestinians.

Annexation

The real question is, will this peaceful cooperation continue? Despite the UN praising Israel for its support of the Palestinian health system, some officials in Ramallah continue to badmouth the government in Jerusalem, accusing it of abusing the coronavirus to deepen its occupation of the Palestinian people. The Palestinians are still faced with the threat of the annexation of the West Bank. The prime minister of Israel, with the support of Donald Trump, is intending to make the explosive move. Donald Trump has slashed aid to Palestinians, cut diplomatic ties and declared the city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinians have no doubt been impacted by this, nevermind adding a pandemic on top.

Under a unity government deal, the Israeli leader is pushing to bring plans for annexation to the cabinet for discussion as soon as the 1st of July. This could erupt the Israeli-Palestinian violence, just at a time when cooperation seemed likely in the pandemic. Not only do Palestinians have to worry about contracting the virus in overcrowded houses, but also the threat that their house could be torn away from them when things return to 'normality'. If Israel was to annex the West Bank, it would permanently control the land and all the people in it. This would make it difficult to give it up in any future agreement.

The Palestinian Authority has threatened to cancel the implementation of all bilateral agreements if annexation takes place and added that critical decision by Israeli leaders today could impact the trajectory of the conflict for years to come. These moves to annex land and to accelerate settlement expansion, correlated with the devastating impact of COVID-19, can ignite the situation in these regions and destroy any hope amongst citizens. The idea of unilateral action, only by the Israeli government, can result in more harm and conflict.

Palestinians are therefore suffering a crisis within a crisis. Some do not have the choice to even social distance. They are in terror at contracting the virus, wishing for normality. Yet, their normality brings about fear. The fear of the annexation of their land by the Israeli government. We have to be privileged that we are in a position where our normality is, when will the hairdressers open up again? And when will I be able to go to the pub? Because for civilians in Palestine, their normality is just as scary, or even more terrifying, than the current pandemic we are living in.