Israel approves transfer of 5,000 vaccine doses to Palestinians

Defence Minister Benny Gantz’s office said inoculations were intended for front line medical staff

Palestinian health workers can expect vaccination after the transfer from Israel. Bloomberg

Israel agreed to transfer 5,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to immunise front line Palestinian medical workers, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz's office said on Sunday.

It was the first time that Israel confirmed a transfer of vaccines to the Palestinians, who lag far behind Israel's campaign and have not yet received shipments of their own.

The World Health Organisation raised concerns about the disparity between Israel and Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Human rights groups and UN analysts said Israel is responsible for the wellbeing of Palestinians in these areas.

Israel said that under 1990s interim peace agreements it is not responsible for the Palestinians and has not received requests for help.

Mr Gantz's office said the transfer was approved. It had no further details on when that would happen.

There was no comment from Palestinian officials.

Israel is one of the world’s leaders in vaccinating its population after striking procurement deals with international drug companies Pfizer and Moderna.

The health ministry said nearly one-third of Israel’s 9.3 million people have received the first dose of the vaccine, while about 1.7 million people have received both doses.

The campaign includes Israel’s Arab citizens and Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem.

But Palestinians living in the West Bank under the autonomous government of the Palestinian Authority and those living under Hamas rule in Gaza are not included.

The Palestinian Authority has been trying to acquire doses through a WHO programme known as Covax. But the programme, which aims to procure vaccines for needy countries, was slow to get started.

The dispute reflected global inequality in access to vaccines, as wealthy countries acquire the lion's share of doses. It has also emerged as another flashpoint in the decades-long Middle East conflict.