By Nidal al-Mughrabi
GAZA (Reuters) – The Palestinian Authority said on Sunday that it expects to receive its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in March, under an agreement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and accused Israel of shirking its duty to ensure that vaccines are available in the territory. occupied.
While Israel has already become the world leader in vaccinations per capita, Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip have not yet secured their first supplies.
Yasser Bozyeh, Palestinian director-general for public health, told Reuters that in addition to reaching a principle agreement with AstraZeneca, the Palestinians also sought supplies at Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Russia, which developed the Sputnik V vaccine.
Supplies would also come through a World Health Organization vaccine program for poor and middle-income countries.
There was no immediate response from AstraZeneca to an email request from Reuters for comment.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Israel has “ignored its duties as an occupying power and committed racial discrimination against the Palestinian people, depriving them of their right to health”.
“The quest for Palestinian leadership to secure vaccines from various sources does not release Israel from its responsibilities to the Palestinian people in providing the vaccines,” the document said.
Under interim peace agreements with Israel, the Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-government in the West Bank. Hamas Islamists command the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s vaccination program covers Arab citizens of the country and Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem.
In the West Bank, it gave vaccines to Israeli settlers, but not to Palestinian residents, who receive health services from the Palestinian Authority.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, say Israel has a legal obligation to provide vaccines to Palestinians under occupation. Israeli officials say they can share vaccines with Palestinians as soon as Israel’s needs are met.
A WHO official said on Sunday that the organization had held “informal discussions” with Israel about distributing some supplies to Palestinians to vaccinate health workers. The officer, Gerald Rockenschaub, head of the WHO office in the Palestinian territories, said Israel had indicated it would explore the option.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Peter Graff)