Global e-commerce company Amazon has donated $300,000 to a non-profit US organization which is supplying medical equipment to healthcare professionals and patients in Israel during the coronavirus pandemic.
#Amazon Provides Free Shipping to Illegal Jewish #Settlers, Charges #Palestinians https://t.co/mzX0SawcVJ via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/9K9FtpUU6F
— @palestinechron (@PalestineChron) February 19, 2020
The donation by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will be made through the Israel Healthcare Foundation, an independent US-based non-profit that seeks to improve healthcare for Israeli citizens, reported the Times of Israel.
The funds will be used to purchase masks, support systems to increase the flow of blood in the patient’s body and other equipment to save the lives of coronavirus patients, the US firm said in a statement.
#Palestine to Sue #Amazon over Free Shipping to Illegal Jewish #Settlements https://t.co/0efTeRxKlI via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/nmyCCsFCQe
— @palestinechron (@PalestineChron) February 20, 2020
CEO of Clalit, the largest of Israel’s four state-mandated health service organizations, Professor Ehud Davidson, said in a statement:
“We are experiencing challenging times, like never before. We are working around the clock to treat COVID-19 patients, to protect our medical teams, and fight this virus. Amazon’s support at this critical time will help us to continue our lifesaving work.”
Amazon Extends Free Shipping Promotion to Palestinian Territories https://t.co/VkLaeKXenQ via @PalestineChron
— Mary Hughes-Thompson 🇵🇸 (@Mariapalestina) March 4, 2020
In February, a Financial Times report revealed that, in blatant defiance of international law, Amazon was offering free shipping to illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, but not to Palestinians living in the same area.
In early March, the company decided to extend its free shipping promotion to the occupied Palestinian territories, after the Palestinian Authority announced it would take legal action against Amazon over “its discrimination policy that favors illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories over the indigenous Palestinian population”.
(Palestine Chronicle, MEMO, Social Media)
