Israel will make thousands of Palestinian workers working in Israel and the occupied West Bank area eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination, according to the Israeli government’s Coordinator of Governmental Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
COGAT officials told Reuters on Sunday that Palestinian medical teams would be placed near the checkpoints that separate the West Bank from Israeli territory, where qualified Palestinians can receive the COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna.
The Red Cross celebrated the initiative, telling Reuters in a statement that more must be done to improve access to vaccines in the Palestinian territories. Israel maintains strict control of the border between the Israeli territories, Gaza and the West Bank, and has left only about 32,000 vaccines in the two Palestinian territories, which are home to more than 5.2 million people together.
“The Palestinian population remains, for the most part, unprotected from COVID-19, and we would be happy to see more such initiatives. We would like to see full and equitable access to vaccines for all Israelis and Palestinians, ”said a Red Cross official.
This disparity led to widespread criticism of Israel, which on the other hand received praise for the pace of its vaccination efforts. Human rights groups have argued that Israel is responsible for providing more vaccines in the occupied territories, in accordance with its obligations under the Geneva Convention.
Palestinian officials in the West Bank issued new blockade measures this weekend as the territory faces a wave of COVID-19 infections, while Israeli authorities continue to vaccinate the country’s largest population.