It is heartening to see how, amid the coronavirus outbreak that is challenging the entire international community, Israeli and Palestinian health workers and officials are working together to mitigate the impact of disease. They are showing that, when there is good faith, cooperation is possible and it is effective.
The U.S. Mission to the United Nations and the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process praised the working relationship between the Israeli and the Palestinian authorities in fighting COVID-19 and highlighted how this coordination has been a determining factor in the level of disease containment achieved so far. The UN envoy emphasized how Israel has facilitated the flow of critical supplies and equipment towards the West Bank and Gaza, including swabs for collection of samples and other laboratory supplies required for COVID-19 testing, and personal protective equipment to protect health workers.
The American Jewish Congress has always believed that cooperation is paramount to achieving a safer and more prosperous future for all. We hope that the lessons learned during this crisis serve as a turning point in bringing the parties together. Counterproductive methods like boycotts have been fully discredited and, as the situation today shows, there can be no substitute for the power of dialogue.
