Haaretz, Dec. 20, 2016

Israel’s Civil Administration confiscated last week a trailer that Palestinians had begun using as a clinic in Al-Markaz, a small village inside Masafer Yatta, a town which in turn finds itself within a southern West Bank military firing area called Firing Zone 918.

The residents and the head of the village council fear the Civil Administration will confiscate another two trailers that also started serving as clinics in two adjacent villages, Safai and Majaz. The three are among the 12 small villages that existed prior to 1967 in the area, which Israel has designated as Firing Zone 918. It is also demanding that over 1,000 residents in eight of the villages be permanently evicted. The state forbids connecting them to the water supply or electricity grid as well as any construction, including for structures for public needs, like clinics or schools.

[...] Weather conditions make it hard to treat patients in the tents; in nearby Jenbah, they stopped using the tent two months ago. Moreover, patients complained about the lack of privacy. Thus, three trailers equipped with a bathroom stall and a water tank each were brought in about 10 days ago to Al-Markaz, Safai and Majaz. The Al-Markaz trailer was confiscated three days after its arrival.

The Palestinian Health Ministry only started provided care in the tent in 2013. Before that, Al-Karmel, which is about 15-20 kilometers from the three communities, was the nearest village with a medical center. Lacking proper access roads and public transportation, patients needing urgent care were brought there on tractors. Some died before they made it. Others gave up because of the difficult journey.

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