Health conditions in the OPT, including East Jerusalem and Syrian Golan – WHO 66th World Health Assembly – Report by Israel/Non-UN document

Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian

territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the

occupied Syrian Golan

At the request of the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations and Other International Organizations at Geneva, the Director-General has the honour to transmit to the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly the attached statement of the Government of Israel (see Annex).

ANNEX

STATEMENT FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL TO THE

SIXTY-SIXTH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY

1. The position of the State of Israel has always been that a politically motivated debate and resolution on the item “Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan” has no place on the agenda of the World Health Assembly. The Health Assembly should not discuss the health situation of a population in a specific conflict, as it is not of a general public health nature. The Health Assembly is not the forum to discuss the narrative of an ongoing conflict, nor the place to decide on political matters.

2. The constantly improving health situation in the Palestinian territory as reflected by a number of indicators and the fact that all residents of the Golan Heights enjoy high quality medical services equal to all other residents of Israel, only emphasize that it is better for the World Health Assembly to turn its attention and limited financial resources toward regions in which its involvement is really required and highly expected.

3. The above is even more valid given the ongoing deteriorating situation in Syria, especially with regard to the health situation of the people of Syria and the incomprehensible destruction caused to the public health facilities of the country. The State of Israel regards the continuous World Health Assembly’s debate on the “health conditions in the occupied Syrian Golan”, as an absurd example of the way the assembly’s agenda is cynically abused, World Health Organization’s limited resources squandered, and will not cooperate with it.

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