This letter, published in the London Daily Telegraph on 21 January, is in response to one from Sir Nicholas Soames and Sir Alan Duncan. They maintained that Israel's moral advantage in achieving such a high rate of vaccination "collides horribly with its further conduct." They asserted that "Israel declines to administer this lifesaver to Palestinians living in their own country, despite its legal obligation to do so as the occupying power."
Sir,
Palestinians living in
East Jerusalem have Israeli ID and, as residents, belong to Israel’s health
system. They naturally come within Israel’s
Covid vaccination programme. The same is
true of all Israeli citizens, including the millions of Arab Israelis who reside
in Israel and those Israelis who choose to live in the West Bank.
In the West Bank the
sole source of legal authority is the 1993-5 Oslo Accords, agreed by Israel and
the Palestinians. The Palestinian side assumed full responsibilities in healthcare,
including vaccinations, for its citizens in the West Bank and Gaza.
As Covid-19 vaccines became
available, a Palestinian Authority official told the media that the authority did
not expect Israel to sell it vaccine, or to purchase it on its behalf. With the WHO’s help, the PA negotiated a deal
by which Palestinians will soon receive nearly four million doses of Russian-made
Sputnik V vaccine. It will also receive the
AstraZeneca vaccine in February.
Neville Teller
No comments:
Post a Comment