PA and Israel establish joint situation room to deal with Coronavirus

Official PA TV News, on Coronavirus, interview with PA Government Spokesman Ibrahim Melhem

PA Government Spokesman Ibrahim Melhem: "Honestly and unequivocally, we have established a joint situation room with the Israelis to deal with this plague, or epidemic according to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), which has declared epidemic, this virus, a pandemic.

The adjacent borders and the entwined relations between us and the Israelis do not allow for hesitation in taking strict steps and coordinating at the highest levels in order to prevent the spread of this epidemic. Regarding the [Palestinian] workers in the settlements, we are warning the workers against the focal point that is now in the settlements, the focal point of the epidemic. The settlements have become the focal point of the epidemic. Therefore, it is not possible to [continue] to be in contact with these focal points."

[...]

Official PA TV newsreader: "Allow me - this is as part of the existing situation where the numbers of [people infected with Coronavirus in Israel] are not increasing at a high rate; but what if the epidemic spreads in Israel?"

Ibrahim Melhem: "We are taking [precautions]. We know that Israel constitutes a great weakness for us."