Palestinian PM Urges ICRC to Protect Palestinians in Israeli Prisons

Ramallah, MINA – Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to take immediate action to visit and protect Palestinians in Israeli prisons in connection with coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

“Today, I met with the Head of the ICRC delegation in Jerusalem, Mr. Daniel Duvillard, to request immediate action from the Red Cross to visit and protect our Palestinians,” Shtayyeh said on Tuesday while receiving a delegation in Ramallah, WAFA reported.

He called on ICRC officials to work to free all prisoners, especially the sick, the elderly, children and women to be released and protect them from the pandemic.

Shtayyeh also emphasized that Israeli Prison Service conducts necessary medical examinations, for Palestinians in Megiddo Prison, which are allegedly affected by COVID-19 and to implement international protocols for protecting prisoners, especially in the case of a pandemic outbreak.

“Asking the ICRC to play a greater role in occupied Jerusalem because Israel will not allow the Palestinian Authority or city Palestinians to do anything to protect it from the deadly virus,” he said.

Shtayyeh also said Israel was persecuting Palestinian workers and not giving them the need, at least for protection, as when Israel threw a Palestinian worker at a checkpoint in the West Bank yesterday after he was suspected of being infected with COVID-19. However, then the tests conducted for workers in Ramallah turned out to be negative. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)