‘If we can overcome coronavirus, we can overcome the occupation’
Palestinian villagers preparing food for Bethlehem during the city’s lockdow
Suha Arraf writes in +972:
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has produced two winners: Benjamin Netanyahu, who has used the crisis to delay his trial on corruption charges; and the Palestinian Authority, which has regained the trust of the Palestinian public through its response to the pandemic. Suddenly, it seems as if the “Deal of the Century” was announced a century ago.
The Palestinian struggle against the coronavirus is centered around Bethlehem, where the first cases in the occupied West Bank emerged. On March 5, seven hotel employees contracted the virus from tourists staying at the Angel Hotel. Three weeks later, there are 64 reported cases in the West Bank (compared with over 2,660 in Israel), about 40 of those in Bethlehem. One elderly Palestinian woman died from the virus on Wednesday.
Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh realized early on that the PA did not have the infrastructure — particularly for hospitals and budgets — to deal with the virus. As such, Shtayyeh called for an immediate lockdown of the city, isolated the infected and those who had come into contact with the hotel, and declared a state of emergency. Bethlehem Governor Kamel Hamid also recruited the municipality to strengthen these measures.
The most encouraging response, however, came from the Palestinian public. Bethlehem’s residents organized en masse in a manner reminiscent of the popular committees that operated during the First Intifada. An emergency committee was formed in the city with over 3,000 volunteers — youth scouts, psychologists, doctors, academics, social and political activists, and other concerned residents. Palestinian women also returned to the center stage of public life, as they had during the First Intifada.