Nearly 20% of the recent coronavirus cases in the West Bank were the result of interaction between Palestinians and Arab Israelis, a PA health official said.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHHebron city divided between jews and arabs(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Prominent Palestinian clans in Hebron on Tuesday appealed to their members to take a series of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.The clans also banned social gatherings and urged Palestinians to maintain social distancing.The appeal came in light of reports of a rise in the number of coronavirus cases among Arab-Israelis from the Bedouin community in the Negev, many of whom have relatives in the Hebron area.The Palestinian Authority has appealed to all Arab-Israelis not to enter the West Bank as part of precautionary measures to stem the spread of the virus. Palestinian officials in Hebron said they did not rule out the possibility many of the new cases contracted the virus after coming in touch with Arab-Israelis from the Negev.Nearly 20% of the recent coronavirus cases in the West Bank were the result of interaction between Palestinians and Arab-Israelis, a PA health official said.On Monday, PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on Israel to seal its border with the West Bank to prevent the spread of the disease. The Palestinians would ask the UN to deploy its troops along border crossings between the West Bank and Israel to help combat the disease, he said.The appeal by the clans came as the PA Ministry of Health announced that 278 new cases of coronavirus had been detected in the Hebron area over the past 24 hours – the highest number since the outbreak of the pandemic in early March.Another eight cases were discovered in the Jerusalem area, eight in Bethlehem, four in Tulkarm, six in Ramallah and two in Nablus, the ministry said.On Sunday, the PA government dispatched five cabinet ministers to Hebron to discuss ways of curbing the spread of the disease in the city.After the visit, Shtayyeh announced his government would provide aid to a number of hospitals in the Hebron area. PA security forces would beef up their presence in the area to impose coronavirus restrictions, he said.In their appeal, the Hebron clans called on residents to avoid social gatherings, especially wedding parties, and to adhere to the rules of the PA Ministry of Health.The clans announced a ban on all social gatherings, including weddings and mourning events, and urged their members to strictly abide by the health rules.
