Palestinian prisoners are traumatized by COVID-19 measures by Israel

More than half of Palestinian detainees say they have been subjected to deliberate medical neglect and a lack of serious efforts to prevent the spread of disease in Israeli jails, according to a report issued recently by the Society for Palestinian Prisoners (PPS).

Officials in Israel hope to make these temporary measures permanent, which would be a significant development. "All of these restrictions are violations," said a PPS advocate of the rights of inmates. When more than 100 cases of COVID-19 were recorded in November 2020, ex-inmates claimed that Israeli prison guards spat from the roofs and common (jail) areas of the prison.

Researchers believe Israeli authorities increase the likelihood of COVID-19 spreading among inmates by confining more than six in each cell because they are in regular contact with the jailers, who are themselves in constant contact with those on the outside. Aside from the complex vaccination process, Sarahneh observed that Israeli officials had refused to deliver the vaccine to convicts in the open.

If you'd like another way to say it, "these measures placed the detainees in an almost total social and psychological isolation that hampered any potential for collective resistance and affected every part of their existence." Human decency requirements have not been met by dozens of Palestinian prisoners, according to a PPS assessment.

Other forms of abuse suffered by people in Israeli police custody include psychological and physical abuse. There have been instances where the pandemic was utilized to worsen prison conditions, according to Sarahneh.

The severe humidity and lack of access to natural light or ventilation in the detainees' quarters, according to the article, encourage the spread of disease. The cells have been emptied of cleaning materials, and the detainees are not permitted to bathe or change their clothes.

It is estimated that by 2020, more than 66,000 Palestinians in the Occupied Territories will have left their jobs, and the number of people employed in the region will drop from 951,000 to 884,000. According to data from worldmeters.info, the Palestinian Territories have reported 579,744 cases of COVID-19, with 5,316 deaths.