The US State Department said, on Thursday, that it is aware of reports indicating that Israel has prevented Palestinian cancer patients from leaving Gaza through the Beit Hanoun “Erekat” checkpoint, and that it urges the parties to facilitate freedom of movement.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, in response to a question put to him by the “Al-Quds” correspondent in this regard: “We are of course aware of these reports, and it is something that we document in many different contexts, including our extensive documentation of these concerns. in the West Bank and the Human Rights Report in Gaza.
"We have encouraged all parties to work together to facilitate greater freedom of movement, including for humanitarian purposes," Price added.
And the “Washington Post” newspaper reported last Tuesday that Israel has prevented cancer patients who urgently need to leave the Gaza Strip for treatment since the start of the latest military attack on the besieged Gaza Strip, as the checkpoints have been closed since May 10, especially the Beit Hanoun (Erez) checkpoint that it uses pedestrians instead of goods.
The newspaper reported that doctors, families and human rights advocates are urging the Israeli authorities to reopen “border crossings” for medical cases, at least, before the most vulnerable patients become critical and may die.
On the latest movements of the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Hadi Amr, Price said in response to a question for “Al-Quds”: “I can tell you that, of course, we have been in the region for less than two weeks now. There was Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister Amr. Join our delegation. This was certainly the subject of dialogue with our Israeli counterparts. It was the subject of a dialogue with the Palestinian Authority, and we also heard from members of civil society with whom we met about all things.”
“Our goal is to make clear near-term progress in ensuring that both Israelis and Palestinians enjoy equal measures of security, safety, prosperity and dignity,” Price added. This is an important goal in itself. It is important to human well-being, including Palestinians. But it is also important that we eventually be able to make progress toward what remains our strategic goal, which is the two-state solution, which in our estimation is the only way to preserve Israel’s identity as a Jewish and democratic state, while giving the Palestinian people their legitimate aspirations for statehood, security and dignity.”
In his response to Al-Quds, Price went on to point out that “this is why ensuring that there is ample humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, especially in the wake of the recent violence, is so important to us. That is why over the course of recent weeks, starting on April 7, 2021, I have announced here more than $100 million in support of the Palestinian people.”
He continued: “Shortly before that, Ambassador Thomas Greenfield announced the provision of $15 million in aid - in the field of coronavirus-related relief to the Palestinian people. Finally, I think we´ve now announced $360 million in aid for the Palestinian people, knowing that, again, if we want to help make progress toward the ultimate goal of a two-state solution, we need to provide that humanitarian relief, and we need to be able to do that. urgently, given the dire situation, especially there in Gaza, in the wake of the violence.”
