Israel delivers 5,000 doses of vaccine to Palestine

After repeated criticism and pressure from the UN, Israel, the country with the world’s most advanced vaccination rate, reported today that deliver 5,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine to the Palestinian National Authority immunize doctors in the occupied territories.

While Israel has already vaccinated about a third of its population, the Palestinian territories of The West Bank and the Gaza Strip which it has occupied and controlled militarily for more than half a century have not yet received a dose to administer.

It is not clear whether the 5,000 doses that Israel will deliver will be delivered only to the West Bank, where the Palestinian National Authority is located, the Palestinian government, or whether it will also distribute in the Gaza Strip, where the authority is located. is maintained by the Islamist Organization that Israel considers Hamas a terrorist.

“I confirm that we will provide 5,000 vaccines to the PA medical teams.”a spokeswoman for the Israeli Defense Ministry told AFP news agency without giving further details.

Last week, the new UN coordinator for the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, again called on Israel to facilitate the vaccination of Palestinians against Covid-19, in accordance with Israel’s “obligations under international law.”

Israel is vaccinated in East Jerusalem – the third Palestinian territory considered by most of the world, including Argentina, to be occupied – because for decades this part of the city has been unilaterally annexed and, therefore, considered to be forming part of its territory.

The Palestinian government has reported in recent weeks that signed four vaccine purchase contracts to immunize 70% of the population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The first doses to arrive will be those of Russian Sputnik V in February.

Since the start of the pandemic, Israel has recorded some 641,000 cases of Covid-19, of which 4,700 have died. The Palestinian authorities, meanwhile, have reported 157,000 infections, including 1,800 deaths, in the West Bank and Gaza.