Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency service, launched a vaccination campaign Wednesday for Palestinian workers who have valid work permits.
The MDA’s vaccination program covers all Palestinian workers who are allowed to enter and work within Israel, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) does not currently The vaccine is only available to a few people, such as medical staff.
“Palestinians may come and get the vaccine, including those who hold Palestinian Authority identity cards and work permits,” one spokesman told The Times of Israel.
According to another MDA spokesman, the vaccination program went into effect Wednesday at around 5pm but is expected to return next week and include workers who want to enter Israel and who had not been vaccinated before.
Under the terms of Oslo Accords, the PA is responsible for the health care of their own population and has reiterated that it receives its own vaccines through the DA scheme.
However, it could take several months of enough vaccinations to bring the uprising under control in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which is home to more than 4.5 million Palestinians. Israel is on track to be fully vaccinated by the end of March.
Meanwhile, Israel transferred 5,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to the hands of PA medical teams on Monday to assist them in their efforts to stop the pandemic.