Israel will provide COVID-19 vaccines to Palestinians working in Israel or in their West Bank cities, the Israeli liaison office said Sunday.
The vaccination campaign, which could affect about 130,000 Palestinians, will begin within days, COGAT said.
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Israeli health care worker vaccinates Palestinian against coronavirus at Qalandia checkpoint
(Photo: AFP)
A full explanation of the campaign will be announced in the coming days, but it is expected to include pop-up clinics at several border checkpoints and business zones in the West Bank, staffed by workers. Israeli health care operates and uses Moderna vaccine, according to a statement by COGAT.
Shaher Saad, general secretary of the Palestinian Workers Union, said thousands of Palestinians already working in Israel’s service and business sectors have already been privately vaccinated by their employers inside Israel.
He said Palestinian medical teams would be based at checkpoints to administer the vaccines, with an agreement with Israeli authorities.
The news on Sunday drew a big welcome from Dan Waites, considering for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
“The Palestinian population remains largely unprotected from COVID-19, and we would be pleased to see more such campaigns. We would like to have full access to vaccines for all Israelis and Palestinians, “he said.
Israel has given at least one dose of the Pfizer Inc vaccine to more than half of its 9.3 million population, including Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
But he has been criticized internationally for not doing more to allow Palestinian vaccination on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Palestinians have received around 32,000 vaccine doses to date, for the 5.2 million people living in the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli officials have said that, under the Oslo peace agreements, the Palestinian health ministry is responsible for vaccinating people in Gaza and those parts of the West Bank where they have little autonomy.
On Thursday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh announced that schools across the West Bank will be closed for the next 12 days. In a televised speech, Shtayyeh said the restrictions, which take effect on Sunday, will not apply to high schools in the area.
Other restrictions announced by the Prime Minister include a ban on social gatherings, including funerals and weddings, and a restriction on overnight travel as well as non-essential activities.
He said the restrictions were prompted by the spread of UK and S.African rays of COVID-19 in the region, with schools identified as major infectious hubs.