- Israel is the world leader in vaccinating its population against COVID-19. About 19% of the population has already received a dose of the vaccine.
- Israeli citizens and Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are eligible to be vaccinated. Those in the West Bank and Gaza are not – unless they are Israeli settlers.
- Some people argue that the Oslo Accords mean that it’s not the Israeli government’s responsibility to vaccinate those in the Palestinian territories. Others cite the Geneva Convention to insist that it is.
- Human rights activists argue that Israel holds a moral obligation to vaccinate vulnerable Palestinians.
- It is unclear, at this point, whether the Palestinian Authority has actually asked Israel to secure vaccines on their behalf. There are conflicting reports.
As Israel leads the world in vaccinating its population against the coronavirus, critics have questioned whether the country is fulfilling its supposed legal and moral obligations to help millions of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza.
While some argue that certain peace treaties’ nature point towards Israel being absolved of responsibility, others have cited certain international laws to illustrate that Israel holds a duty of care.
The debate as to who Israel is duty-bound to vaccinate is, ultimately, a complicated one.
“I am continuing to work around the clock to bring millions of vaccines to Israel and at the same time, the health system is continuing to vaccinate the citizens of Israel at a pace that is awe-inspiring to the entire world,” wrote Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Twitter.
Since Israel administered its first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last month, the country has gone into overdrive to vaccinate its population against COVID-19 quickly.
Read the article by Joshua Zitser in Business Insider Australia.