Israel to send 1M coronavirus vaccine doses to Palestinians

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Israel to send 1M coronavirus vaccine doses to Palestinians #Baaghi

June 18, 2021: Israel said on Friday that it would transfer one million doses of the soon-to-be-completed Corona virus vaccine to the Palestinian Authority in exchange for certified doses received by Palestinians later this year.

Israel, which has reopened after vaccinating about 85 percent of its population, has been criticized for failing to share its vaccine with the 4.5 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

The agreement was announced by the new Israeli government, which was sworn in on Sunday. It has said it will transfer Pfizer vaccines, which will be phased out soon, and that PAs will pay for the same amount of vaccines when it receives them from a pharmaceutical company in September or October. There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Authority. Israel has one of the most successful vaccination programs in the world, allowing it to fully reopen businesses and schools. This week, authorities removed the need for the public to wear masks, one of the last restrictions.

Rights groups say Israel, as an occupying power, is committed to providing vaccines to Palestinians. Pointing to interim peace agreements with the Palestinians in the 1990s, Israel denied such responsibility. The agreements state that the PA, which has limited autonomy in parts of the occupied West Bank, is responsible for healthcare, but that both sides must work together to combat epidemics. Israel has offered the vaccine to more than 100,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, as well as to Palestinians living in East Jerusalem.

Gaza is ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the West. Israeli officials have suggested that Gaza extend the supply of immunizations until the return of the remains of two Israeli prisoners and two Israeli soldiers held by Hamas. The PA has said it is procuring its own equipment designed to help more countries in need through contracts with private companies and the World Health Organization’s program.

 It was not immediately clear whether the expected Pfizer doses are being supplied through that program, known as COVAX, or a private arrangement. To date, around 380,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and around 50,000 in Gaza have been vaccinated. More than 300,000 infections have been recorded in the two territories, including 3,545 deaths.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want a state in all three territories. There have been no substantive peace talks in more than a decade.

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