Dear John,

The media is buzzing this week with the story that Israel is the world leader in COVID-19 vaccinations. But medical apartheid is nothing to celebrate! Settlers living illegally in the West Bank are getting vaccine shots while Palestinians get nothing.

Tell progressive Congress members to condemn Israeli medical apartheid. New Congresswoman Marie Newman tweeted, “The Netanyahu administration has a moral and humanitarian obligation to ensure that both Israelis & Palestinians have access to vaccines.” We need others to join her in telling Israel that they must respect the health rights of Palestinians. Act now!

According to the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority is solely responsible for the health care of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. However, those deals were supposed to be part a more complete peace agreement to be signed within five years. Almost three decades later, this larger peace agreement still hasn’t happened. Israel has entrenched its settlement enterprise occupation while flouting international law, which says clearly that an occupying power is obligated to meet the humanitarian needs of the people it is occupying. 

Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are in dire need of the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, the rate of COVID-19 infection in the West Bank and Gaza is 36%, while in Israel it’s only 4.5%. The situation in Gaza is particularly worrisome. Gaza suffers from up to 12 hours a day without electricity. Due to Israel’s air, land, and sea siege, as well as multiple military assaults on the crowded enclave, there is a severe shortage of medicine and medical equipment in Gaza, along with significant poverty and unemployment. Quarantining and maintaining sanitation in Gaza is extremely difficult.

Given the billions in military assistance the U.S. gives to Israel, Congress should be outraged. Email progressives in Congress now and tell them to speak out. They should pressure Israel to provide vaccine doses for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

So far, Israeli officials have said that they might offer whatever they have leftover to the West Bank and Gaza after vaccinating Israeli citizens and East Jerusalem Palestinians. If that isn’t medical apartheid, we don’t know what is. Act Now!

Towards health and equality for all,
Ariel, Danaka, Ann, Angela, Carley, Ciara, Cody, Emily, Jodie, Leila, Leonardo, Maxine, Marcy, Mary, Medea, Michelle, Nancy, Paki, Teri, and Tighe

P.S. Read and share Ariel Gold’s latest article explaining why Israel’s denial of vaccine to Palestinians is medical apartheid.