Palestinian Premier Asks Israel to Close Crossings Due to Virus

(Bloomberg) --

The Palestinian Authority is calling on Israel to close all crossings to Palestinian territories due to the renewed surge in the coronavirus.

Some 82% of Covid-19 cases in a second wave of the outbreak in the territories were due to gatherings, such as weddings and funerals, and the remainder were contracted in Israel, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said in comments to the cabinet broadcast on television.

“We demand Israel close all crossings with Palestine, and we will send a request to the United Nations forces to monitor the borders,” he said.

The number of coronavirus cases in the West Bank has soared from 460 on June 17 to 4,267. In Israel as well, the the virus has been spreading rapidly after lockdown restrictions were eased in a bid to revive the economy. The number of cases in Gaza, which has closed off its border crossings to Israel and Egypt, has remained steady at 72.

Some 87,000 Palestinians have permits to work in Israel, and 60,000 are currently working there, according to Israeli government figures. In order to reduce travel during the outbreak, employers have been required to provide their Palestinian workers with a place to stay for several weeks at a time. Other Palestinians also have permits to travel through crossings into Israel.

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