Palestinians caught in a vice grip during COVID-19 pandemic

 

^{On March 2020 took place the third general elections for the 120 sets on the Knesset. The results have seen the victory of the right-wing Likud party, leaded by Netanyahu, obtaining 58 seats, although his charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in Nov 2019, and the left-wing “Blue and white” party, headed by Gantz. After several compromises, the 20th of April an emergency government of national unity was established for a limited period of time of 36 months, presided by Netanyahu for the first 18 months and by Gantz during next 18 months, under the approval of the president Rivlin. During the first phase, Gantz will be vice-premier and Minister of Defence. The shifting on the guidance of executive will be regulated by a Knesset’s law. This even slight predominance of Likud party will entail the implementation of the US President Trump “deal of the century”, which encompasses the Israel annexation of the occupied West Bank territory, including the Jordan Valley region and some nature reserves. As a matter of facts, Israeli government has been authorized to bring such a plan, that would include up to 30% of the total West Bank area, to debate in the Knesset since 1 July 2020.}  

^{AI underlines that this agreement would worsen the “flagrant” human rights breaches occurring in the cited territories, the impunity of the war crimes, crimes against humanity and other gross violations. Being annexation an acquisition of territories by the use of force, it’s infringing at the same time the art. 2 (4) UN Charter, norm of jus cogens that expressly prohibits the threat and the use of force, both against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State and in any other manner incompatible with the purposes of the UN. This plan would extend Israeli law to the OPT, not changing their legal status. In fact, under domestic Israeli law, it’s nothing else but an Israeli settlement expansion, thus denying civil and political rights to Palestinians, their freedom of movement, of speech, of association, equality and non-discrimination rules.}

^{As well known, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the world long lasting struggle between two self-determination movements: the Jewish Zionist and the Palestinian nationalism, claiming the same territories, and during this atavic conflict Israel has been accused of Apartheid against non-Israeli people, as in South Africa. On both sides, have been recorded unlawful killings, that are crime of war, arbitrary detentions, many forms of discrimination, human trafficking, denial of humanitarian access, abuses and maiming of women and children, used as human shields and forced to be involved in military actions in an overall framework of clashes, incitation campaigns and retaliations.}

^{According to many Ngos, In his annual report on children and armed conflict, the UN Secretary General Guterres reported in June 2020 the omission from the “list of shame” of  States perpetrating these crimes the Saudi-led coalition, Yemen, Myanmar and also Israel, despite these kind of abuses have been well-documented by UN and many human rights associations and organizations all over the world are asking this list will be evidence-based, avoiding to coddle powerful countries.}

^{The uprising of the turmoils in these strips of land are likely to escalate to a planetary level.   In front of what has been described by A.I. as an incoming “law of the jungle” following last elections, it’s currently urging international community to strengthen the implementation of international law remarking that any annexation of the occupied West Bank is nul and void. It’s also claiming an halt of the construction of Israeli illegal settlements and infrastructures in the OPT and all trades with them, decryingamong other violations against Palestianian rights, the right of return of the refugees, supporting ICC investigations and calling on governments to provide political and tangible contributions and proofs to the Court on the ongoing situation.}

^{According to art.47 of the 4th Geneva Convention, protected people in occupied territories shall not be deprived of their rights as the result of an occupation, neither by any agreement concluded between the authorities of the occupied territories and the occupying powers, nor by any force agglomeration of whole or part of the territories. Moreover, it’s not clear what will be ruled out about citizenships and residency under this incorporation of lands. Israeli PM Netanyahu affirmed that Palestinian residents in the areas wouldn’t get Israeli citizenship also after annexation.}

^{Getting advantage of the illegal block in Gaza and fragmentation among the OPT population, annexation would result in a mass-expropriation of lands and home demolition, thus violating also the adequate housing right (in 2019 Israel demolished 617 Palestinian structures and evicted 899 people in the West Bank). The law of occupation prohibits demolitions if not necessary for military operations. Punishing demolitions are collective punishments, thus forbidden by international law as well as the transfer of prisoners in the occupying country, being in Israel occurring administrative detentions, with no fair process, of about 4600 people.}

^{The PA, governing body of autonomous Palestinians regions, and the paramilitary PLO called international community to impose sanctions against Israel and started boycotts and disinvestment, declaring to consider this expansion as a “declaration of war” and that Israeli will endure their resistance in any forms .}

^{On the wave of the USA proposed “Deal of the Century”, an “International Conference on the Question of Palestine” was held last February in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, gathering practitioners, academics and civil society, in order to thwart the phenomenon of unilateral actions and to implement the substantive exercise of inalienable rights in Palestine. In this occasion ASEAN Member States were urged to continue their operations in the pursuit of the justice and peace and was rebutted the uselessness of a new plan and the necessity of giving effectiveness to agreements and UN resolutions already existing, on the basis of the “two-State formula”.}

^{More precisely, the 28 Jan, Trump administration held a press conference in the White House, announcing the “Peace to prosperity: a vision to improve the lives of the Palestinian and Israeli people” plan, that was welcomed by the new Israeli coalition government. It proposed the incorporation of the existing Israeli settlements in West Bank; Jerusalem as undivided Israeli capital; a territory for the future Palestine, including parts of West Bank, Gaza strip and some Jerusalem surrounding; linking means of transport with Palestinian territories, by building new roads, bridges and tunnels; freezing for 4 years Israeli settlement constructions; US embassy in Palestine; investment of $ 50 billion to build a new Palestinian State.}

^{In Europe, France and UK, but also Arab countries, such as Gulf Arab States, have highlighted and recognized that, although their Israeli backing, this plan is objectively occurring in straight violation of international law, thus execrable and severely affecting and damaging Palestinians human rights, not even ensuring the international minimum standards and the right of repatriation.}

^{The PA and the League of Arab States, among others, rejected the plan and under the mounting pressure of Tunisia and Indonesia, USA proposed many amendments. It’s crystal clear that latest  protests against the announced plan and the lockdown security measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, have dragged Palestinians in a hell of oppression and restrictions that considerably limit the freedom of civilians that are currently exacerbating further clashes and opposing counter-attacks, trespassing the ban of gathering due to the pandemic and the quarantine imposition, being their lives at risk in any case.}

 

^{The outbreak of Coronavirus in 2019 has opened new dialogues and collaboration purposes between Palestinians and Israelian in the attempt to ease the peaceful process in the Middle Est, being the watchword a strong cooperation on the ground, both locally and internationally. Nicholay Mlandenov, the Bulgarian Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process in the UN Security Council, underlined the “inspiring example” of cooperation in these lands, before the elections, in the fight for the marginalization of Covid-19 and seized the moment to impact communities in order to make further steps toward peace and to reject unilateral decisions. In this perspective, UN has delivered over $ 1 mln of aid items, such as protective equipment and test kits, for Palestinians hospitals and clinics, due to their insufficient funds. Special Coordinator added that UN will do his utmost for the well-being and safety of Palestinians and Israelis, ensuring that no less than $137 million would be transferred to the region in the coming four months. UN acts in this direction especially through the Middle East Quartet, composed of Russian Federation, USA, EU, UN, that see cooperating the world’s existent superpower countries and institutions involved in the pacification of these areas, their agencies (i.e. UNRWA and OCHA) and WHO. The 1 July hundreds of Palestinians gathered in Gaza and West Bank against the annexation. The following day, Pope Francis summoned the US and Israeli ambassadors for preventing an escalation of violence, reckoning that the state of Palestine and that of Israel have the same right “to exist and live in security, within international recognized borders”, discouraging unilateral actions.}

^{The Pope and UN are, in fact, in search of an establishment that seems will never happen, trying to demonize the upcoming of a new world conflict, triggering an international alarm to stop this crusade and massacre of civilians. The Holy See recognized the State of Palestine in 2013, soon after followed the recognition by the UN with the status of non-Member State Observer... Last March also the Muslim World League urged the moral duty of an interfaith partnership to overcome the crisis.}

^{In order to limit the spread of the virus, Israeli government has approved a legislation for a partial lockdown and has increased restrictions of movement for people and trade, exception done for health and humanitarian workers in Gaza strip. It has imposed a curfew in the West Bank and also tactically allowed counter-terrorism surveillance to track infections. On the other hand, in Palestine an internal cooperation has been tightened between Hamas and Fatah.}

^{Israel was one of the first countries to close its borders and imposed restrictions when the global pandemic first outburst by adopting measures such as the suspension of public prayers. The PA followed its example but the mosques are still opened.}

^{The Israeli Minister of Defense and the alternate PM Gantz has announced that it would be desirable that the propagandized annexation would take place after the proclaimed state of emergency due to the coronavirus. In fact, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, last week, said that 2636 people have tested positive for Covid-19 compared with 1256 recorded a week ago, expressing the fear of a “second wave” of infections, after the lockdown lifting measures of  last May.}

^{What furthermore is inflaming the crisis is the Palestinian economic dependence on Israel, especially for the 150.000 Palestinians working in Israel (5000 in Gaza) with official permit and about 60.000 work illegally in Gaza strip and West Bank. Their average daily income is 250 Israeli shekels (about $70 per day), so the adopted restrictions mean depriving hundreds of millions of dollars addressed to the Palestinian market and a decline of their purchasing power, due to the lack of liquidity, halving Palestinians civil servants wages. Moreover, the health measures imposed at Israeli airports, crossings and ports have impeded the arrival of imported products from Palestine, whose exportations have been banned. To get things worse OPEC continues to cut oil exports, raising the prices. The WB reported in April that, if Coronavirus crisis and relating economic aftermath wouldn’t have a countertrend, Palestinian economy will shrink by 7%, causing an unprecedented collapse.  Palestinian Financial Minister has already asked Israel a loan of 500 million Israeli shekels ($141 millions) per month until the end of the pandemic but it’s unlikely it could get it.}

^{So, in conclusion, the economic downturn, the spread of Covid-19 and the paralysis caused by the stark contraposition between both nationalisms, claiming the same lands by reason of their religious auspices, perspectives and aspirations funded on their believes, have shed light to the weakness of the international efforts in the Middle East, and in particular in Israel and Palestine, putting them in the hands of Trump’s American hegemonic policy of “America first” mainly driven, not only by ideological, but also anti-terrorist aims. Although resounding speeches, has been revealed a consistent lack of democracy and effective protectionism of liberal values, especially on hand, from USA, and through continuous terrorist attacks from Palestinian organizations conducting terroristic activities, such as i.e. Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Aqsa Martyr Brigade and LFP, on the other, bearing in mind that “terrorism” has been defined in 1994 by the UN as “criminal acts intended or calculating to provoke a state of terror in general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstances unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them”,  it’s clear that on both sides the destiny of innocent civilians, that are daily struggling simply for their livelihood is again put at risk. Economically screwed up and politically undermined, many Palestinians are actually living in danger and violence, are often forced, with no escape, to be enrolled in military corps, terroristic or legally recognized, in order to avoid indigence, in a quest for revenge and social redemption.}

 ^{Once again, in the slowness and inadequacy of the political summits in the control rooms of power to find out equitable solutions, clumsy changing strategies in the international arena, long distant from the alarming and dramatic reality, this is one of the saddest quarrels in which are one more time helpless and martyred civilians that keep on paying the highest penalty for superpowers damages, their unready answer and adequate proposals in a framework in which are the extremist position to do the big part and is left less and less space for moderate forces to negotiate peaceful and long-lasting solutions.}