W

hile 
many 
parts 

of the world are 

now 
experiencing 

emotional 
darkness 
and 

instability, 
Israeli 
occupied 

territory is uniquely vulnerable 

to a coronavirus outbreak. With 

only four hours of electricity 

available each day, the lights have 

been out in Gaza for 13 years. In 

2007, Israel and Egypt imposed 

a land, air and sea blockade of 

the Gaza Strip after Hamas 

took control of the territory, 

leaving 
Gaza’s 
approximately 

two million residents isolated 

from the rest of the world. The 

economic and social realities on 

the other side of the blockade have 

dangerous 
implications. 
More 

than 70 percent of Gazans receive 

humanitarian aid and 50 percent 

are unemployed. These statistics, 

coupled 
with 
poor 
health 

infrastructure, leave Gazans ill-

equipped to tend to the economic 

and public health consequences 

that are sure to ensue.

The first two recommendations 

from 
the 
World 
Health 

Organization regarding protective 

measures against the coronavirus 

are to wash hands frequently and 

to maintain social distancing. 

These 
recommendations 
have 

been a nuisance to all, but have 

highlighted long-standing social 

inequity for many marginalized 

communities. In Gaza, social 

distancing and hand washing may 

be some of the least accessible 

practices for residents. Less than 4 

percent of freshwater is drinkable 

and with a population of two 

million people living in a territory 

the size of Detroit, Gaza is the 

third most densely populated 

polity in the world, making it ripe 

for an outbreak.

In the wake of a global 

pandemic, it is important to 

recognize the parallels these new 

circumstances present in relation 

to pre-pandemic living for so 

many Gazans. While the wealthy 

have access to savings and health 

care, unemployment and steep 

medical care costs can be just as 

deadly as the coronavirus for the 

working class. This pandemic 

is disproportionately impacting 

underprivileged groups — and 

that’s why anyone who’s been 

monitoring 
the 
situation 
of 

Palestinians in Gaza and the West 

Bank has cause for concern.

Leaders in the Palestinian 

Authority 
have 
claimed 
that 

Israeli police purposely dropped 

off a Palestinian worker showing 

symptoms 
of 
coronavirus 

at 
a 
checkpoint, 
instead 
of 

treating them, as agreed upon. 

Furthermore, Palestinians have 

accused Israeli Defense Forces 

soldiers of spitting on them to 

infect them with the virus. There 

have also been reports of increased 

violence among settlers in the 

West Bank against Palestinians.

While Israel has succeeded in 

slowing the spread of COVID-19 

thus far, existing Israeli policies 

in the West Bank and Gaza will 

have a disastrous effect once the 

virus inevitably spreads. The 

Israeli blockade of Gaza continues 

to undermine living and economic 

conditions, which make the spread 

of coronavirus — and human 

suffering — all the more likely. For 

instance, due to the blockade and 

frequent conflicts with Israel, as 

of April 6, there were only 70 ICU 

beds for all of Gaza. Simply put, 

Gaza does not have the health 

infrastructure or supplies to deal 

with this crisis alone.

With 
the 
virus 
quickly 

spreading, it is imperative for 

authorities to take action now. As a 

longtime ally of Israel, the United 

States is in a position to exert 

some amount of influence over 

the situation. Last year, Congress 

voted to send $75 million in aid to 

Palestinians living in the occupied 

territories of Gaza and the West 

Bank. 
However, 
the 
Trump 

administration has blocked that 

aid from being delivered at a 

time when it is most needed. The 

Trump administration recently 

announced it will give $5 million 

in humanitarian assistance to 

hospitals in the West Bank. This 

is an encouraging step in the 

right direction, but it’s not nearly 

enough. Five million dollars is 

a drop in the bucket and Gaza 

continues to receive no aid from 

the U.S. despite its severe shortage 

of medical supplies.

There are other actions that 

Israel can take to combat the 

spread of the virus in Gaza 

and the West Bank. The blockade 

restricting the passage of goods 

and people into Gaza will make 

it difficult for residents to access 

much-needed medical supplies 

and personnel. For years, the 

United Nations has called the 

blockade a “denial of basic human 

rights.” Now, more than ever, Israel 

must allow Palestinians access to 

basic medical necessities. Human 

rights watchdogs — including the 

UN and Human Rights Watch 

— have also condemned Israel in 

the past for detaining thousands 

of Palestinians without access to 

legal representation, health care 

or proper sanitation. Now, those 

detainees 
pose 
an 
enormous 

health risk and must be released 

from 
detention. 
Additionally, 

Israel must address the immense 

shortage of COVID-19 test kits 

available in occupied territory.

The U.S. is not without power. 

The 
unconditional 
military 

assistance which the U.S. gives to 

Israel helps fund the continued 

occupation and oppression of 

Palestinians. 
The 
U.S. 
must 

demand 
that 
Israel 
address 

the oncoming health crisis in 

occupied territory and put an 

end to its long record of human 

rights abuses. Attaching these 

conditions to U.S. military aid, 

along with releasing the promised 

$75 million in humanitarian aid 

to Palestinians, are preliminary 

steps that our country can take to 

begin to address Israel’s human 

rights crisis. As the COVID-19 

pandemic rages on, it is of utmost 

importance that we demand our 

lawmakers move to the right side 

of history.

As Jewish people, we feel a 

shared responsibility to oppose 

the Israeli occupation and work 

toward 
a 
peaceful 
two-state 

solution to the Israeli-Palestinian 

conflict. In this frightening age of 

COVID-19, we share a heightened 

concern for Palestinians in Gaza 

and the West Bank with all who are 

concerned for the state of human 

rights in Israel. The three of us are 

members of J Street, an organization 

rooted in the American Jewish 

community and advocating against 

the occupation. You can sign the J 

Street petition to unfreeze aid to 

Palestinians at jstreet.org.

4 — Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Alanna Berger
Zack Blumberg

Brittany Bowman
Emily Considine
Jess D’Agostino

Jenny Gurung
Cheryn Hong
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ERIN WHITE
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MILES STEPHENSON

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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of The Daily’s Editorial Board. 

All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

Shoshana Weinstein, Cora Galpern 

and Aaron Lev are first-year students 

in the College of Literature, Science 

& the Arts and can be reached 

at shoshlw@umich.edu, cgalp@

umich.edu and aalev@umich.edu 

respectively.

A new crisis in Gaza

SHOSHANNA WEINSTEIN, CORA GALPERN, AARON LEV | OP-ED

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