Israeli rights groups demand inoculation of Palestinian prisoners against coronavirus
Five human rights organizations based in occupied Palestinian territories have called for the COVID-19 vaccination of Palestinian prisoners against the backdrop of a statement by Israeli Public Security Minister Amir Ohana, who has said inoculation of the inmates was “not a priority.”
On Sunday, the Association for Civil Rights, Physicians for Human Rights, Adalah, the Center for the Defense of the Individual, as well as Rabbis for Human Rights submitted a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court.
The five organizations asked the court to order the Israel Prison Service (IPS) to vaccinate all prisoners, not least those over the age of 60.
Adalah said the Israeli minister’s stance violates the medical rights of prisoners, and contradicts the guidelines of the Israeli Health Ministry as well as professional medical ethics that guarantee equal treatment for all.
Late last month, Israeli prison authorities closed down the Ramon prison after detecting several coronavirus infections among prisoners and guards.
The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) said on December 27 that the closure was “a serious indication of a possible wide outbreak of the pandemic among the detainees.”
On Friday, Ohana reiterated that he would not back down on his decision to deny the vaccine to Palestinian prisoners.
The minister insisted that the shots would only be considered after all prison staff members are vaccinated as well as the “general population of Israelis who are not incarcerated.”
Earlier this month, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila warned about an imminent outbreak of the virus in Israel's densely crowded detention centers.
Kaila said in a statement on January 3 that Israeli prisons are potential epicenters of the pandemic, which means the lives of many prisoners, particularly the elderly and the sick, are at high risk.
The minister held Israeli authorities responsible for the lives of Palestinian prisoners, especially those incarcerated in Ktzi'ot Prison, where more than 1,200 inmates are currently held.
More than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently behind bars in some 17 Israeli jails.
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