Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) condemned the decision of Amir Ohana, Minister of Public Security in the occupation government, to exclude Palestinian prisoners from receiving vaccination against the Corona virus, stating that this a racist decision which puts the lives of thousands of prisoners at risk.
The minister, who considered prisoners to be among the most vulnerable groups, ordered vaccination of all detainees except Palestinian prisoners, whom he described in his decision as security prisoners.
Excluding Palestinian prisoners from the vaccination campaign reveals a will to inflict harm on them, given the systematic medical negligence practiced by the prison administration since the beginning of the Corona pandemic, as no measures to treat or isolate the infected prisoners were taken to save their lives, in a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions.
This decision followed another flagrant racist decision to exclude 2.5 million Palestinians citizens from receiving the vaccination in Area C, which falls under the control of the occupation according to the Oslo Accords, while all settlers in the West Bank will receive the vaccination.
The occupation government is primarily responsible for providing the necessary vaccination in all Palestinian territories – the West Bank and Gaza Strip – regardless of the classification of the Oslo Accords, as under international law, all these lands are considered occupied.
AOHR UK called on the European Union, Germany in particular and the companies producing the vaccine to oblige the occupation government not to discriminate and distinguish between the citizens based on national or religious grounds during the vaccination process.
AOHR UK also called on the International Red Cross Organisation to carry out its duties towards the Palestinian prisoners, to take all required measures, including providing the necessary vaccinations to all prisoners, and to reject the decision of the Minister of Internal Security of prohibiting Palestinian prisoners from receiving the vaccination.
