Munir al-Ghoul, a spokesman for the unit to fight the coronavirus in "occupied Jerusalem", said on Wednesday that "occupied East Jerusalem" is infected with the virus and that Israel, being an "occupying" force, has a duty to vaccinate the Arab residents of the city.
In an interview with the Hamas newspaper Felesteen, al-Ghoul said that 1,664 cases of the virus had been diagnosed in eastern Jerusalem this week, of which more than 100 were in moderate and serious condition and were hospitalized in Arab hospitals in Jerusalem.
The neighborhoods of Kafr 'Aqab, Wadi al-Joz, al-Sheikh Jarrah and Bab a-Zahara in eastern Jerusalem have been designated as “red zones” due to the spread of the coronavirus.
Al-Ghoul expressed concern over the adoption of a "racist" policy by the Israeli government regarding the vaccination of residents of eastern Jerusalem. He claimed that Israel had established the first center to diagnose coronavirus patients in eastern Jerusalem only after a month after the start of the pandemic, following pressure from human rights organizations and Arab Knesset members.
He further claimed that Israel has implemented a policy of discrimination against the Arabs of eastern Jerusalem by imposing high fines on Arabs on the grounds that they are not wearing a mask or because of the lack of social distancing and for opening businesses in violation of guidelines.