JERUSALEM (PA) – Israel has agreed to transfer 5,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine to Palestinians to immunize front-line medical workers, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s office said on Sunday.
It was the first time that Israel has confirmed the transfer of vaccines to Palestinians, who are far behind Israel’s aggressive vaccination campaign and have not yet received any vaccines.
The World Health Organization has expressed concern about the disparity between Israel and Palestinians living in the West Bank and the occupied Gaza Strip, and international human rights groups and UN experts have said Israel is responsible for the well-being of Palestinians in the areas. Israel says it is not responsible for the Palestinians under the interim peace agreements reached in the 1990s and has not received any requests for help in any case.
Gantz’s office said early Sunday that the transfer had been approved. He had no other details as to when this would happen. There were no immediate comments from Palestinian officials.
Israel is one of the world leaders in vaccinating its population after concluding procurement contracts with international drug giants Pfizer and Moderna. The Ministry of Health says that almost a third of the 9.3 million people in Israel received the first dose of vaccine, while about 1.7 million people received both doses.
The campaign includes Israeli and Palestinian Arab citizens living in the annexed East Jerusalem. But Palestinians living in the West Bank under the autonomy of the Palestinian Authority and those living under Hamas in Gaza are not included.
The Palestinian Authority tried to obtain doses through a WHO program known as COVAX. But the program, which aims to procure vaccines for the necessary countries, has started late.
The dispute reflects global inequality in access to vaccines, as rich countries ingest most of the doses, leaving countries poorer and further behind to combat the effects of the pandemic on public and economic health. It has also emerged as another hotbed in decades of conflict, even though the virus has wreaked havoc on both sides.