Israel to give coronavirus vaccines to Palestinians for front-line medical workers

Israel on January 30 agreed to donate 5,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine to Palestinians to vaccinate essential healthcare workers, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s office said in a statement. decision came after Israeli government learned that Palestine has received vaccines, while Israel launched a rigorous mass iculation program. While World Health Organization (WHO) stated that Israel was responsible for health of Palestinians living in occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel denied responsibility, citing interim peace agreements from 1990s that evicted country of any responsibility for Palestinians. Israeli government, however, stated that help from Palestinian side was sought from Israeli administration. country, despite differences, approved transfer of vaccines. 

Palestine, according to Arab News, has been trying to procure shipment of vaccines under WHO’s COVAX initiative. But country has been unable to procure any doses due to sluggish rollout as a result of a surge in demands. Earlier, at a G20 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron had stressed that globe must create a system that includes disturbing first doses of potential coronavirus vaccines to “least developed countries”. world’s 20 biggest ecomies debated about how to make rapeutic drugs, COVID-19 vaccines, and tests available to poorest nations, such as Palestine.

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 1.7 million Israelis vaccinated

“We need to avoid at all costs a scenario of a two-speed world where only richer can protect mselves against virus and restart rmal lives," Macron said in a televised conference, raising concerns. WHO, meanwhile,  appealed for investing more funds into Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator of WHO’s COVAX initiative. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen called for ‘global solidarity’ for vaccines. Israel struck an agreement with Pfizer and Moderna for procurement of vials for its 9.3 million population. As many as 1.7 million Israelis have already been administered with 2 doses, according to state-run press. vaccination drive included Israel's Arab citizens and Palestinians in annexed east Jerusalem but excluded West Bank and Gaza Strip due to Palestinian government’s authority and Hamas rule in region. 

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