UPMRC: Israeli-Imposed Curfew 12/06/02
Threatens Lives of Hundreds of Thousands
Israeli forces, in what appears to be a repeat of the March invasions, have
again re-invaded Ramallah and Tulkarem with hundreds of tanks and troops,
instituting a strict 24-hour curfew, preventing the cities' civilian
residents from leaving their homes for any reason.
UPMRC has written at length about the disastrous effects curfew has on
people's health. Curfews serve to imprison civilians, and deny them their
right to movement, which affects other rights such as the right to health.
Israeli forces are preventing people from accessing medical care, which
unfortunately disproportionately affects women, children and the elderly.
Right now, 200,000 residents of villages surrounding Ramallah do not have
access to hospital care in the city because of the Israeli reinvasion. This
means that pregnant women in labour, children with serious infections,
kidney dialysis patients, and men and women with chronic diseases are being
deprived of life-saving hospital care and are at risk of developing serious
complications or worse. Some of these patients are likely to die if they do
not get the services they need.
UPMRC staff in Ramallah and Tulkarem are once again responding to the crisis
by providing emergency health services to those under curfew. We are facing
high demand, and have already saved the lives of a number of pregnant women
in need of care.
Palestinians in other areas not currently under invasion are also loosing
their lives due to the Israeli occupation. Two days ago, the Israeli-imposed
closure claimed yet another Palestinian life when 75-year-old Youssef
Mohammed Abu Tabeekh died at the Hamra checkpoint close to Jenin. Abu
Tabeekh was on his way home to Jenin from Jordan where he had received
medical treatment. According to his daughter, 'Affaf, who was traveling with
him, Israeli soldiers stopped and detained them for more than two hours at
the Hamra checkpoint in the Jordan valley. Mr. Abu Tabeekh, still very ill,
suffered in the intense heat and his condition deteriorated quickly. The
Israeli soldiers would not let him pass, and after two hours of waiting, Mr.
Abu Tabeekh died of dehydration.
The health situation in Palestine, which has been consistently deteriorating
for more than a year and a half, is in shambles. Of particular concern is
the fact that most Palestinian children have been unable to get vaccinations
for the past six months, due to the strangling closures and travel
restrictions. This has dramatically increased the likelihood of major
infectious disease outbreaks which threaten not only Palestinian
communities, but also Israeli communities due to their close geographic
proximity.
UPMRC urgently asks the international community to intervene and pressure
the Israeli government to stop its collective punishment measures against
the civilian population of Palestine, and to withdraw its tanks, troops and
checkpoints and allow Palestinians freedom of movement.
For more information, please contact Joyce at: Medical Relief -
00972-2-298-5372 or consult our new website: http://www.upmrc.org
