An Israeli Arab activist on Tuesday defended Israel on its coronavirus vaccination policy at a UN Human Rights Council session after representatives from Iran, Qatar, and the Palestinian Authority accused the Jewish state of a hateful- implementation of race.
Yoseph Haddad blamed the officials who said Israel’s vaccination program was intended only for the country’s Jewish population. “Any attempt to assert that Israel’s vaccination policy is racist to destroy Israel and draw attention away from the corruption of some countries in this council is a clear attempt,” he said.
Haddad is the CEO of “Together – Vouch for One Another, founded in 2018 by a group of young Israeli Arabs – Christians, Muslims, Bedouin and Druze, who were determined to bring about change in Israel-Arab division and the adoption of progressive leadership vis-à-vis Israeli society and the country.
Speaking on behalf of the UN Guard, Haddad said it was an Arab from Nazareth who received the vaccine.
“Israel has been accused of being racist and untrue. Like me, my family, friends and hundreds of thousands of other Israeli Arabs have been vaccinated, ”he said.
“The State of Israel is campaigning in Arabic to encourage Israeli Arabs to get vaccinated and the Magen David Adom National Rescue Group, which is made up of investigators and Arabs, is working directly with Arab communities to vaccinate residents, “he said.
Haddad also said that Israel is helping to vaccinate thousands of Palestinian workers employed in Israel despite not having to do so under Oslo Accords. “Israel, and not the PA, has vaccinated thousands of Palestinians. And while the PA used vaccines to include VIPs, it was Israel that set up vaccination centers for Palestinians.”
To date Israel has vaccinated more than 50,000 Palestinian workers with the target of 120,000 Palestinians vaccinated at eight different vaccination centers across the West Bank.
“Instead of blaming the PA, you are rejecting Israel. Instead of talking about how Palestinians are being discriminated against in Lebanon, you are attacking Israel. Instead of blaming countries for human rights violations, including China, which is on this advice and is currently committing racism against Muslims, there is you despise my country, ”he said, adding that he is proud to be an Arab living in a country that“ cares. for all its citizens “.