Israel and the Coronavirus

​QUESTION: Why has the Gaza Strip been quiet lately? 

ANSWER: Because medical personnel there have been receiving test kits and medical equipment from Israel requested by the Gazans. The Gazans don’t want the Israeli assistance to cease. Therefore, they are behaving themselves. 

GOOD NEWS: In Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the receipt of test kits and medical equipment from Israel requested by medical personnel there. “Handling the coronavirus outbreak takes precedence over any political consideration, and without help from Israel, Gaza would be in a very difficult situation in the case of an outbreak,” said an Israeli ministry official (Daniel Siryoti, “Why is the Gaza Strip calm these days? Hamas knows the answer,” Israel Hayom, (March 10, 2020).

In the last week of February alone, Israel permitted more than 100,000 Palestinians to enter Israel for medical treatment. Nearly 70,000 more were admitted the first week of March. On March 10, COGAT “coordinated the transfer of 20 tons of disinfectant material from Israeli plants to Palestinian plants. The materials included chlorine and hydrogen peroxide, used for disinfection, preservation of hygiene and sanitation” (@cogatonline, March 1 and 10, 2020).

In addition, in Mid-April, Israel provided a loan to the Palestinian Authority to help avert an economic and humanitarian crisis (Tovah Lazaroff, “Israel loans PA money, FM warns against Palestinian COVID-19 crisis,” Jerusalem Post, April 17, 2020).  (The above information has been taken from “Jewish Virtual Library”)

GRATIFYING: In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, a survey was taken on April 22-23. It indicated that a higher-than-usual percentage of Israelis--both Arab and Jewish--feel an integral part of the State of Israel. 92.5% of the Jews living there and 77% of Arab Israelis identify with Israel and feel that they share a common destiny “very much” or “quite a lot.” That’s high—the highest in a decade. Last year, only 42% of the Israeli Arabs indicated that they felt part of the state. We can guess the reason for this change in the attitude of the Arab Israelis.  

SLANDER: BDS (Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions against Israel) Professor Asad Abukhalil of Cal State University: tweeted, “Israel will—I am sure—have different medical procedures for Jews and non-Jews. Non-Jews will be put in mass prisons.”

The “Students for Justice in Palestine” chapter at the University of Maryland planned a conference on March 10, 2020, suggesting Israel is at least to blame for exacerbating the virus problem in the territories [among the Palestinians].

PREDICTION: The fact that Israel is providing life-saving medical care to Palestinians, a practice that preceded the virus pandemic, will probably also make little difference to propagandists who make the specious claim that Israel is engaged in ethnic cleansing.

IRONY: The BDS Movement (Remember: Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions) which originated in Palestine but is very strong on many American university campuses cannot be pleased. Why? Such cooperation is counter to the anti-normalization campaign of the BDS movement. Yes, that’s right—the BDS Movement wants there to be NO cooperation with the Israelis, including the health of the Palestinians, it seems.

SO BAD: From Israel’s Institute For Contemporary Affairs – Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser: “Since the worldwide spread of the coronavirus, we are witness to anti-Semitic expressions that denote the Jews, in general, and Israel, specifically, as those who have developed the virus and are responsible for its propagation. The anti-Israel BDS community and the Palestinian establishment have been leveraging the coronavirus to defame Israel." 

REFUTATION: “The facts are unimportant to them. In practice, Israel cooperates with the Palestinians in treating the coronavirus, transfers large amounts of medical equipment for their use, and advises medical teams in Gaza and the West Bank on how to treat the disease.” (Jewish Virtual Library)

STATEMENTS OF ISLAMIC SCHOLARS
From Egypt: Mohammed Al-Hefnawi Al-Ansari – “Thank you corona! This pandemic that has spread everywhere is good despite being a plague. When the people stopped enjoying good and forbidding evil, the coronavirus came to enjoy good and to forbid evil.”  Hm-m. 

From Jordan: Islamic Scholar Dr. Ahmad Al-Shahrouri – “Coronavirus and Zionism are both pandemics we need to fight.” Zionism should be fought like coronavirus is being fought because it is also a pandemic. He also said that Westerners’ use of toilet paper is an indication that they have poor hygiene. (MEMRI TV Clip No. 7920) 

​FROM THE SCRIPTURES (PSALMS 64 ESV)
                                                     Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked…
                                                           Who whet their tongues like swords,
                                                              Who aim bitter words like arrows,
                                                       Shooting from ambush at the blameless…

ISRAELI RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN CORONAVIRUS
Ben-Gurion University Researchers Developing Coronavirus Test that is 8 Times Faster. They are using AI to develop an algorithm-based test that can speed Covid-19 testing eightfold and help locate asymptomatic carriers. This new test is just one of 50 initiatives as part of the Ben-Gurion University Covid-19 response. (Daily Alert & from B-G University) Ben-Gurion University is a relatively new university located in the Negev Desert in Beer-Sheba. (or Beer-Sheva)

One of Israel’s new start-up companies is “CLEW Medical.” This company’s mission is to provide health care workers with high accuracy analysis and predictions of a patient’s outcome. Using artificial intelligence, it detects respiratory deterioration in advance, enabling early interventions and allows healthcare workers to identify disease severity from a remote command center and  then act accordingly. This is now undergoing extensive testing at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass and WakeMed in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Jerusalem Post, April 17-23, 2020)

REPORT ON ISRAEL’S CORONAVIRUS DEATH TOLL. Israel’s death toll is 202. 129 are in serious condition. There are 383 coronavirus patients receiving treatment in hospitals (coming down) and 1,775 in specially designated hotels (down from 2,501) a few days ago, 796 have recovered. (Ynet News and Daily Report)

FROM THE SCRIPTURES: (PSALMS 124 ESV)
                                             If it had not been the Lord who was on our side--
                                                                    let Israel now say--
                                              if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
                                                            when people rose up against us,
                                               then they would have swallowed us up alive….
                                                 then the flood would have swept us away….
                                                                    Blessed be the Lord,
                                                                   who has not given us
                                                                  as prey to their teeth!...
                                                        Our help is in the name of the Lord,
                                                             who made heaven and earth.
 
 
 
 

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