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Palestinian tribes in Hebron asked to help stem the spike in COVID-19 cases

The sharp rise in the spread of the coronavirus in the Hebron district is blamed largely on weddings and public events, and the tribes have been asked to help stem the spread.
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Nayef Hashlamoun considers himself a true believer in nonviolence. He worked with Palestine’s leading nonviolent leader, Mubarak Awad, during the period preceding the first intifada, and he later initiated the Watan Center for Culture in his hometown of Hebron. Hashlamoun told Al-Monitor that he credits what he learned about nonviolence in his latest effort to lead and encourage Hebronites to avoid public gatherings as a way to stem the sudden spike in the spread of the coronavirus in the Hebron district.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health had announced July 4 that 2,576 out of the 4,013 Palestinians who had tested positive for the coronavirus come from the Hebron district. During the same period, nine out of the 16 deaths from the coronavirus also came from Hebron. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh sent four Cabinet ministers to Hebron to assess the situation. 

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