Palestinians count on Israel’s separation barrier
Suha Arraf +972 Mag 16/04/2020
It’s a story that even a screenwriter would have a hard time coming up with: fearing that Palestinians employed inside the Green Line will bring the new coronavirus back into the West Bank, Palestinians are reporting breaches in the separation barrier that divides Israel from the occupied territories. Members of the Popular Committees, who for the past two decades have coordinated non-violent demonstrations against the concrete wall and metal fences that make up the barrier, are themselves trying to fix the holes. Palestinian officials are claiming that the Israeli government is failing to properly maintain the barrier, thereby allowing Palestinian laborers to freely cross into Israel via damaged parts of the metal fence and drainage canals, and return without any kind of medical checks. According to Israeli media, almost two-thirds of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in the occupied territories can be traced back to Palestinian laborers returning from Israel.
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