Human Rights Group: Israel Discriminates Between Jews and Arabs in All Areas, Even Healthcare
On the 20th anniversary of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, and amidst the lockdowns and the damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic on Palestinian Arab towns within the 1948 borders, an Israeli human rights group revealed that structural discrimination against Arab citizens persists in Israel as a result of systematic policies.
Physicians for Human Rights stated in a new report that, two decades after the events in which 13 Arab demonstrators were killed, and despite the official commission of inquiry into the events (the Or Commission) calling for addressing the structural discrimination against Arab citizens in Israel, significant disparities at their expense in the healthcare sector remain.
Arabs Less Satisfied
At the heart of the report are the results of a survey revealing that Palestinian Arab citizens in Israel are less satisfied with the healthcare system and have less trust in it compared to Jewish citizens. The survey was conducted by the polling firm Panel Project Hamedgam.
The survey included 554 participants, 110 of whom were Arab and 444 Jewish. Only 41.2% of Arabs described the healthcare system (hospitals, health maintenance organizations, Magen David Adom, etc.) as good, compared to 53.2% of Jews. Meanwhile, 13.7% of Arab respondents rated the system's performance as poor, compared to 7.5% of Jewish respondents.
Confidence in the healthcare system's ability to handle COVID-19 was also lower among Arabs than among Jews. 14.7% of Arabs and 20.9% of Jews believed the healthcare system was well-prepared, while 46.2% of Arabs and 40.4% of Jews assumed it was poorly prepared or completely unprepared to deal with the pandemic.
A failed Arabic-language guidance campaign
The low satisfaction among Arabs is also linked to the Ministry of Health's performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 20.6% of Arabs rated the ministry's performance as good, compared to 33% of Jews. While 29.4% of Arabs rated the Ministry's performance as poor, compared to 23.5% of Jews.
Similarly, 38.2% of Arabs rated their level of trust in the briefings and announcements published by the health system as high, compared to 49.3% of the Jewish public. Meanwhile, 6.9% of Arabs rated their trust in the health system's briefings and announcements as low, compared to 9% of Jews.
In addition to the survey results, the report presents the latest health indicators issued by both the Central Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Health. These indicators reveal significant disparities to the detriment of the Arab population. Among these indicators is the life expectancy among the Arab population (79.5 years), which is significantly lower than that of the Jewish population (83.1 years). Furthermore, the infant mortality rate among Arabs is more than double (5.4) compared to the rate among the Jewish population (2.4). While the per capita mortality rate among the Arab population (7.1 for men and 4.9 for women) is significantly higher than that among the Jewish population (5.5 for men and 3.9 for women).
Diabetes and Obesity Are Higher
The prevalence of diabetes among the Arab population (14.0% among men and 14.5% among women) is higher than that among the Jewish population (8.5% among men and 6.8% among women). The mortality rate from diabetes among the Arab population (32%) is more than double that of the Jewish population (14%).
Obesity rates among the Arab population (54%) are significantly higher than those among the Jewish population (46%). Self-assessment of health is lower among Arab respondents (49% rated their health as very good) compared to Jewish respondents (56% rated their health as very good).
Number of Doctors
The report paints a grim picture of the shortage of doctors and the workload on clinics in Arab towns. Based on feedback received by Physicians for Human Rights, a situation prevails in the Arab community where one family doctor is forced to treat between 2,000 and 3,000 patients, while the recommended standard for a family doctor is approximately 1,000 patients.
Physicians for Human Rights also points the finger at budget cuts and the privatization policy in the healthcare system. The report describes how budget erosion has resulted in weakened public health services, a reduction in the number of healthcare workers in outlying and marginalized areas, and a lack of investment in infrastructure and public transportation—a policy that prevents Arab residents (especially in the south) from accessing clinics and maternal and child health centers.
The organization emphasizes the serious impact of privatization on the lower classes of society. The report states that high poverty rates within the Arab community also weaken the ability of many to purchase supplementary and private health insurance. Consequently, these low rates lead to increased public spending on treatments and medications, particularly among relatively low-income populations.
Food Security
Furthermore, food security levels in the Arab community are lower compared to the Jewish community, a factor often linked to malnutrition-related illnesses and psychological stress.
The report also presents a long list of economic and social indicators stemming from institutional racism in Israel, which excludes the Arab population from access to employment, housing, education, oversight, and regulation of air pollution, noise, and overcrowding in urban areas. It also highlights the lack of allocated resources aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle that prevents obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and other health problems.
Dr. Yotam Rosner, Director of Research at Physicians for Human Rights, emphasizes that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the Arab community's existing budget deficits, ongoing discrimination, and institutional racism, noting that all these factors severely undermine the right to health.
He adds in the association's statement: “Twenty years after the events of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in October 2000, we find ourselves facing a situation where the coronavirus is disproportionately harming the marginalized and discriminated against, as if it were a routine occurrence.”
He also states that “the Israeli government is obligated to put an end to discriminatory and racist policies that directly contribute to increased disease rates, the failure to combat COVID-19, and unnecessary deaths. Now is the time to launch a corrective action through a national plan that guarantees equality across all economic and social indicators affecting health.” Food security
Furthermore, food security levels in the Arab community are lower than in the Jewish community, a factor often linked to malnutrition-related illnesses and psychological stress.
The report also presents a long list of economic and social indicators stemming from institutional racism in Israel that exclude the Arab population from access to employment, housing, education, oversight, and regulation of air pollution, noise, and overcrowding in urban areas. It also highlights the lack of allocated resources aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle that prevents obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and other health problems.
Dr. Yotam Rosner, director of the research unit at Physicians for Human Rights, asserts that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the already dire situation of budget shortfalls, ongoing discrimination, and institutional racism within the Arab community, noting that all these factors severely undermine the right to health.
In a statement issued by the organization, he adds: “Twenty years after the events of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in October 2000, we find ourselves facing a scenario where the coronavirus is disproportionately harming the marginalized and those subjected to discrimination, as if it were a routine occurrence.”
He also states that “the Israeli government is obligated to put an end to the discriminatory and racist policies that directly contribute to increased infection rates, the failure to effectively combat the coronavirus, and unnecessary deaths. Now is the time to launch a corrective measure through a national plan that guarantees equality across all economic and social indicators that affect health.”
