PHA-Exchange> Curfew in the West Bank and health

[Aviva]

Curfew in the West Bank
April 13th, 2002

For 16 days now complete and total curfew has been imposed on the
Palestinian towns and cities invaded by Israeli troops. The lifting of these
curfews happens for three or four hours every forth or fifth day, but in
some areas it has not been lifted at all.

This curfew is totally unjustified and serves no purpose except to punish
Palestinian civilians and to attempt to destroy Palestinian society and
institutions. With the curfew comes the complete paralysis of all sectors of
society: economy, education, and health.

Health
Since the Israeli attacks, there have been widespread violations of medical
neutrality by the Israeli army through systematic prevention of medical aid
and treatment of the sick and wounded, attacks on medical personnel and the
medical infrastructure. The number of Palestinian deaths since the latest
Israeli invasion on the 29th of March now exceeds several hundred, a large
number of which died because they were deprived of medical treatment, and
there are at least 3000 people left injured, mostly civilians. Health care
centres have been attacked and partially destroyed. Many health workers were
used as human shields during house-to-house searches. Ambulances have been
unable to collect the dead. People have been left dead in their homes for
days and with the hospitals unable to bury the imminent danger of diseases
spreading is evident.

Additionally other aspects of the health sector have been negatively
affected by the Israeli attacks; as the service of medical treatment has
been prevented, primary health care, vaccination programmes, mother and
child health, emergency services, the lives of those people requiring kidney
dialysis or chemotherapy and those who suffer from diabetes and other
conditions have all been endangered.

The 73% of Palestinians who live in rural areas are also prevented from
accessing medical care – either the city they visit for care is closed to
them, in emergencies the ambulances are prevented from reaching them, or the
mobile clinics and doctors who visit their villages are prevented from doing
so.

Furthermore the long term psychological trauma and damage can only be
guessed at after a population has been subjected to such aggressive and
brutal attacks.

The curfew is endangering lives and punishing a civilian Palestinian
population.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti says, “This illustrates that Sharon’s war is a war
against Palestinian civilians. Palestinians demand the immediate lifting of
this terrible curfew that is endangering the lives of us all. How many more
people have to die before the world sees this curfew for what it truly is –
a cowardly attack on the people and society and institutions of Palestine.
We urgently need international protection to prevent the deaths of more
people.”

 www.palestinemonitor.org