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Ambulances and occupation: restrictions to movement

A new documentary from Al-Jazeera Englishhighlights movement restrictions on Palestinian ambulances. With many medical specialities such as radiotherapy and heart surgery only available in Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem, it is vital that patients are able to travel there unimpeded. However, Palestinian ambulances face significant barriers.

In 2017, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) recorded 38 cases of obstruction of PRCS ambulances, included being stopped and searched at checkpoints. According to the PRCS, checkpoints delay ambulances by an average of 15 minutes.

In almost all cases, Palestinian patients, even emergency cases, are forbidden to enter East Jerusalem in a Palestinian registered ambulance. Instead they undergo a ‘back-to-back’ transfer, whereby they are moved from the Palestinian ambulance to an Israeli-registered one, causing harmful and even life-threatening delays.

Read MAP’s report, Health Under Occupation, to find out more about barriers restricting the movement of ambulances in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Support MAP’s Twitter action

Please share and support MAP’s Twitter action to help urge the UK Government to call on Israel to take immediate steps to end restrictions on the movement of Palestinian-registered ambulances in Israel’s Universal Periodic Review next week.

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