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Palestine Media Watch

Hepatitis A outbreak ignored by US media

PMWATCH -- August 19, 2002 -- Yet another vague promise by the IDF to "pull out" of a couple of Palestinian cities, yet another volley of promises from the Israelis to "bring some relief" to Palestinian civilians (a masterstroke of a spin, making it sound as though they are doing the Palestinians a favor by desisting from actions that are forbidden by the Geneva Conventions), yet another "deal" that anyone who knows anything about Ariel Sharon and his vision for a "final solution" can only dismiss as nothing more than a tactical move in his one-way war of attrition against the Palestinian people.

And so, the media dutifully puts on its happy face and waxes optimistic, hailing the deal as a possible "break through". Meanwhile, the Palestinian people continue to suffer the incalculable hardships of an occupation that has turned the West Bank and Gaza into the biggest penal colonies in the world.

Below is just an example, relayed by the International Solidarity Movement, of the devastating consequences of the occupation that have gone unmentioned, undetected, or flatly ignored, by the US media. Please do what you can to urge the media to cover this unfolding human tragedy.

Consider calling your local paper, the nightly news and cable programs, and ask them to cover this sad development. For contact information, please go to: http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/contact/media.html - Contact information for getting the full story is given below.

You can also spread this story and drop the media an email via the interface below.

Palestine Media Watch
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Your letter Aug 15, 2002 - I am writing in appeal for international assistance in what could be a dire humanitarian crisis. The residents of Salem, a village near Nablus in the West Bank, are facing a severe outbreak of Hepatitis A. According to Dr. Ghassan Hamdan of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees in Nablus, there have been 95 confirmed cases in this village since the outbreak first began two weeks ago. Additionally, there are 9 confirmed cases in Iraq Bureen, a nearby community, and other unconfirmed reports of further infections in neighboring villages. Thus far, all 104 confirmed infections have been children. Dr. Hamdan asserts that recent damage to the village's infrastructure is the most likely cause of the problem. Israeli military forces, while using bulldozers to place a roadblock on the main access road to Salem, have broken open sewage lines, possibly contaminating the area's water supply. Another example of infrastructure damage is the dumping of garbage from nearby Israeli settlements in areas where villagers grow their food. Additionally, 58 consecutive days of curfew in the Nablus area have led to poor overall sanitary conditions, malnutrition, and lack of access to medical care, greatly exacerbating the situation. Due to lack of funding, the Medical Relief in Palestine is unable to provide the necessary vaccinations for the village's residents. Dr. Hamdan warns that, while the prognosis for Hepatitis infections among children is generally positive, if the epidemic continues it may spread to infants and to the elderly, with potentially devastating effects. Therefore, the need for help in this situation is urgent. The major needs in this crisis are funding for the vaccine and assistance with transporting the medication to the Nablus area. The Israeli siege which restricts Palestinian movement, both within and between Palestinian towns, makes it almost impossible for local Palestinians to transport medical supplies and move in other emergency cases. We believe that the direct intervention of international aid organizations is crucial in addressing humanitarian crises in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our teams of international volunteers and activists, along with our Palestinian partners, will continue to work around the siege to provide aid to those in need. Please consider helping us. Any organization or individual wishing to help with this crisis should contact the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Organizations in Nablus at: +972-9-238-7174. You can also contact Susan Barclay in Nablus at +972-59-877-091 or +972-55-829-680.

ISM -- Aug 15, 2002 - I am writing in appeal for international assistance in what could be a dire humanitarian crisis. The residents of Salem, a village near Nablus in the West Bank, are facing a severe outbreak of Hepatitis A. According to Dr. Ghassan Hamdan of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees in Nablus, there have been 95 confirmed cases in this village since the outbreak first began two weeks ago. Additionally, there are 9 confirmed cases in Iraq Bureen, a nearby community, and other unconfirmed reports of further infections in neighboring villages. Thus far, all 104 confirmed infections have been children.

Dr. Hamdan asserts that recent damage to the village's infrastructure is the most likely cause of the problem. Israeli military forces, while using bulldozers to place a roadblock on the main access road to Salem, have broken open sewage lines, possibly contaminating the area's water supply.

Another example of infrastructure damage is the dumping of garbage from nearby Israeli settlements in areas where villagers grow their food. Additionally, 58 consecutive days of curfew in the Nablus area have led to poor overall sanitary conditions, malnutrition, and lack of access to medical care, greatly exacerbating the situation.

Due to lack of funding, the Medical Relief in Palestine is unable to provide the necessary vaccinations for the village's residents. Dr. Hamdan warns that, while the prognosis for Hepatitis infections among children is generally positive, if the epidemic continues it may spread to infants and to the elderly, with potentially devastating effects. Therefore, the need for help in this situation is urgent.

The major needs in this crisis are funding for the vaccine and assistance with transporting the medication to the Nablus area. The Israeli siege which restricts Palestinian movement, both within and between Palestinian towns, makes it almost impossible for local Palestinians to transport medical supplies and move in other emergency cases. We believe that the direct intervention of international aid organizations is crucial in addressing humanitarian crises in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Our teams of international volunteers and activists, along with our Palestinian partners, will continue to work around the siege to provide aid to those in need. Please consider helping us.

Any organization or individual wishing to help with this crisis should contact the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Organizations in Nablus at:

+972-9-238-7174. You can also contact Susan Barclay in Nablus at

+972-59-877-091 or +972-55-829-680.