To our American Community,

We know what it feels like to feel helpless. There’s so much to do & you can do none of them. But remember: “It’s not important if one dies before achieving his noble ideal. What is important is to find for oneself a noble ideal before he dies.”

Let’s ensure Palestinians under occupation get the COVID-19 vaccine from Israel. Let’s fight for equality.

Please see the letter below & write to your representative now to raise this issue in Congress. Use this website to find your representative & how to contact them (you may have to go to their website to find their email): 

www.govtrack.us/congress/members/map

Thank you. Here’s to liberation, justice, and equality for all those in Palestine.

Dear [Name of Representative]

Please respond to this message and take action on this matter.

As a voter in your district, I have been deeply concerned about Israel’s refusal to vaccinate the Palestinians under its military occupation in the West Bank & Gaza. Israel is under a legal and moral obligation to do so. To refuse to comply with international law is to create a regime of medical apartheid, where two populations are treated differently, despite being under the control of the same sovereign power.

The Israeli Ministry of Health has not yet publicly formulated an allocation policy that includes reserving specific amounts for Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), nor has it established a timeline for the transfer of these vaccines. However, Article 56 of the Fourth Geneva Convention specifically provides that an occupier has the duty of ensuring “the adoption and application of the prophylactic and preventive measures necessary to combat the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics”. This duty includes providing support for the purchase and distribution of vaccines to the Palestinian population under its control.

We express grave concerns about media reports that the Russian-developed vaccine will be delivered to the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA has not fully indicated which vaccines it aims to purchase and distribute, although it has made clear that it does not have sufficient funds and capabilities to purchase the necessary vaccinations. Israel cannot transfer a vaccine which is not approved for its own citizens. Such a step would violate the Paris Protocol on Economic Relations and the long-standing policy of the Israeli Ministry of Health to only allow the distribution of medicines in the OPT which have undergone the necessary scientific and regulatory procedures. Although the Paris Protocol has come under criticism in the past for, inter alia, obliging the PA to import medications that are beyond its financial reach, as long as it is binding, Israel cannot import a vaccine that it has not approved for its own population and send it to the occupied population. Israel must ensure that the vaccines delivered to Palestinians in the OPT, also meet the approvals of the Israeli health system, and that these vaccines be purchased and delivered as soon as possible.

We call on the American Government to urge Israel to fulfill its duties and moral responsibilities to assist the Palestinian health systems and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including:

• Publishing the quantity of vaccinations reserved for the Palestinian population and providing a specific timeline for their transfer.
  
• Ensuring that the vaccines provided for the Palestinian population meet the same standards of approval as those given to the Israeli population.
  
• Ensuring smooth entry of vaccines and other medical equipment to the oPt, including preserving a ‘cold chain’ to keep vaccines refrigerated during transit if necessary.
  
• Where the PA cannot fund vaccines and their distribution among the Palestinian population, Israel must provide full financial support that is not deducted from the PA’s tax monies.
  
• Lifting the closure on the Gaza Strip to enable the proper functioning of its health system in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Israel is a partner and ally to the United States. Our government must not tolerate this illegal behaviour on the part of the state of Israel. Our government must not tolerate this illegal behaviour on the part of the Israeli state. As your constituents and members of the global community, we demand urgent pressure on Israel to ensure it adheres to international law.

As my representative in Congress, I am now asking you,  as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to take action and demand the government to pressure Israel to adhere to the above demands. The USA cannot idly stand by as Human Rights and International Law are being violated by one of its closest allies.

Releasing official statements, organizing joint support from other members of Congress, & appealing to the Committee on Foreign Affairs to take action are the bare minimum required to end this medical apartheid regime. The United States cannot idly stand by as Human Rights and International Law are being violated by one of its closest allies and indeed a state that it vitally sustains.

Please respond to this message and take action in Congress as soon as possible. Every day of delay is measured in Palestinian lives. Do not normalize medical apartheid. Your constituents are watching.

Sincerely,

[Name]