JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel agreed to transfer 5,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to the Palestinians to immunize frontline medical workers, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s office announced on Sunday.
It was the first time that Israel confirmed the transfer of vaccines to the Palestinians, who are far behind Israel’s aggressive vaccination campaign and have yet to receive any vaccines.
The World Health Organization has raised concerns about the disparity between Israel and the Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and international human rights groups and UN experts said Israel is responsible for the well-being of Palestinians in these areas. Israel says that, according to interim peace agreements reached in the 1990s, it is not responsible for the Palestinians and, in any case, has received no requests for help.
Gantz’s office said on Sunday that the transfer was approved. There was no further details on when this would happen. There were no immediate comments from the Palestinian authorities.
Israel is one of the world leaders in vaccinating its population after signing purchase agreements with international drug giants Pfizer and Moderna. The Ministry of Health says that almost a third of the 9.3 million Israelis received the first dose of the vaccine, while about 1.7 million people received both doses.
The campaign includes Arab citizens of Israel and Palestinians living in annexed East Jerusalem. But Palestinians living in the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority’s autonomous government and those living under Hamas in Gaza are not included.
The Palestinian Authority has been trying to acquire doses through a WHO program known as COVAX. But the program, which aims to purchase vaccines for countries in need, has been slow to get off the ground.
The dispute reflects global inequality in access to vaccines, as rich countries absorb most of the doses, leaving the poorest countries even further behind in combating the economic and public health effects of the pandemic. It also emerged as another flashpoint in the decades-long conflict in the Middle East, even when the virus wreaked havoc on both sides.