The Palestinian Authority on Saturday announced new coronavirus restrictions, including a partial blockade, for the occupied West Bank as COVID-19 cases increase.
The big picture: The new measures come as Israel, which leads the world in vaccinations, faces increasing pressure to ensure that Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip have equal access to vaccines.
- The Israeli prime minister’s office announced this week that the country will send a “symbolic amount” of vaccines to the Palestinian Authority and several countries that have asked for help, Barak Ravid of Axios reported.
- Although the Palestinian Authority has launched a limited inoculation campaign, with more vaccine shipments, according to The New York Times, it is still unclear when most of the more than 5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Strip. Gaza will have access to vaccines.
Details: The West Bank restrictions, which will begin on Sunday, will last at least 12 days, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
- Most schools will have to close and universities will have to move to virtual instruction.
- Restrictions include a ban on most trips between provinces and to and from Jerusalem, a curfew overnight, and a ban on most movements on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Weddings, parties and funerals will also be prohibited.
By numbers: The West Bank and Gaza have reported more than 181,900 COVID-19 cases and 2,025 deaths since the pandemic began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
- The Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Saturday that the West Bank reported 910 new cases and five deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the Times.
In depth: Blinken calls for Israeli help to facilitate vaccinations for Palestinians