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Chamber and committees

Systematic Discrimination as Key Barrier to Palestinian Health and Healthcare

  • Submitted by: James Dornan, Glasgow Cathcart, Scottish National Party.
  • Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
  • Motion reference: S6M-02336
  • Current status: Achieved cross-party support

That the Parliament highlights the recent position paper produced by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), which it considers to be a humanitarian, non-partisan organisation; notes that the paper states that policies and practices of systematic discrimination and fragmentation by Israel present a fundamental challenge to Palestinians’ rights to health and dignity, and inhibit the delivery and development of Palestinian healthcare; further notes the view in the paper that this situation has resulted in severe health inequalities between Palestinians and Israelis, which have continued to grow in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; understands that the average life expectancy for Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) is almost nine years lower than it is for Israelis; further understands that the rate of COVID-19 vaccination in the oPt is less than half of what it is in Israel; acknowledges MAP’s recommendations for concrete actions that the international community, including the UK, could take to address what it sees as this dire situation through their foreign and aid policies, and notes calls, including from people in the Glasgow Cathcart constituency, for the international community to ensure that Palestinian voices are heard in policymaking discussions.


Supported by: Karen Adam, Clare Adamson, Stephanie Callaghan, Christine Grahame, Ross Greer, Fiona Hyslop, Bill Kidd, Paul McLennan, Stuart McMillan, Mark Ruskell, Mercedes Villalba