• PCHR Condemns Israeli Authorities Discriminatory Treatment of Palestinian Workers Suspected with Coronavirus
    28 mars 2020 – Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
    https://www.pchrgaza.org/en/?p=14353

    The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights strongly condemns the Israeli occupation authorities’ discriminatory and unethical treatment towards Palestinian workers in Israel, by dumping workers suspected with coronavirus symptoms in the West Bank at checkpoints and seam points within the Annexation Wall that separates Israel and the West Bank without providing them with proper medical help or checkup and without coordination with the concerned Palestinian authorities in order to allow the latter to attend to them as per the medical protocol put in place by the Palestinian Authority (PA) to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the West Bank.

    According to PCHR follow-up, since the early morning hours on Tuesday, 24 March 2020, Israeli authorities threw out thousands of Palestinians who work in Israel into West Bank cities via checkpoints and seam points at the Annexation Wall. The workers were left at Hizma checkpoint, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem; checkpoint (300), southeast of occupied East Jerusalem; Tarqumiyia checkpoint, northwest of Hebron; Metar Crossing, south of Hebron; Beit Sira checkpoint in Ramallah; Araiel checkpoint, north of Salfit; Hawarah checkpoint, southeast of Nablus; Jabara checkpoint, south of Tulkam; Barta’a checkpoint, southwest of Jenin; and al-Jamla checkpoint, north of Jenin.

    Several workers gave their testimonies to PCHR and indicated that they went to their workplace after their employers had promised to guarantee them shelter for 2 months, a safe work environment and to not have them sent back to the West Bank due to the restrictions on movement enforced by the state of emergency. They added that upon their arrival to their workplaces they were kept in inadequate and unsanitary housing conditions amidst the Coronavirus outbreak in Israel and in areas were high number of COVID-19 cases were reported. After some workers showed signs of illness and coronavirus symptoms, Israeli employers informed the Israeli authorities who deported the workers to the West Bank. (...)