The Israeli state has said that it will be giving 5,000 Covid-19 vaccines to help immunise Palestinian healthcare workers. The move comes after strong criticism of Israel for only vaccinating its own population and not those living in the occupied West Bank or the Gaza strip. United Nations officials have said that Israel has a responsibility to vaccinate the people living in those areas.
Israel has the most advanced vaccination program in the world, far surpassing almost every other country in terms of the speed and breadth of its Covid-19 vaccine program. Almost 30% of the population have now been vaccinated, some 1.7 million people. It is hoped that as immunity kicks in from the vaccine that it will go some way to stopping the rising death toll and potentially also halt the spread of the virus within the country. Israel has recorded almost 650,000 cases of Covid-19 and over 4,700 deaths since the pandemic began last year. In the West Bank and Gaza, there have been 160,000 cases and over 1,800 deaths, though the number of Palestinians infected is thought to be much higher than recorded figures suggest.
Israel's fast vaccine rollout has in part been due to an agreement with the vaccine manufacturer Pfizer to provide data feedback on the spread and effects of the virus during and after mass-vaccination.
Neither the Fatah movement, which controls the West Bank, nor the Islamist Hamas movement that controls the Gaza strip has thus far begun vaccinating the population, though Fatah does say that it is currently in negotiations with vaccine manufacturers. Their situation mirrors that of many poor and developing nations across the world. It is hoped that the World Health Organisation's 'Covax' program will be able to fill the void in many countries, including Palestine, in terms of vaccine supply. Around 2.7 million Palestinians live in the West Bank and another 1.7 million live in the Gaza strip, one of the most densely populated places in the world.
Human-rights organisation Amnesty International has spoken out regarding Israel's refusal to offer a greater number of vaccines to the Palestinian people. They released a statement saying:
"The Israeli government must stop ignoring its international obligations as an occupying power and immediately act to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are equally and fairly provided to Palestinians living under its occupation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, said Amnesty International today."
An Amnesty International spokesperson added:
"Israel's COVID-19 vaccine programme highlights the institutionalized discrimination that defines the Israeli government's policy towards Palestinians. While Israel celebrates a record-setting vaccination drive, millions of Palestinians living under Israeli control in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will receive no vaccine or have to wait much longer – there could hardly be a better illustration of how Israeli lives are valued above Palestinian ones."
h/t: BBC
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