Israel to vaccinate Palestinians with Israeli work permit

Palestinians line up to be vaccinated against the coronavirus outside a mobile clinic in the Old City of Jerusalem, February 26, 2021. AFP - AHMAD GHARABLI

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Israel confirmed this Sunday, February 28: the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have a permit to work in Israeli territory and in the settlements in the occupied West Bank will be vaccinated.

At a time when 50% of the Israeli population is already vaccinated, Palestinians have so far received only 30,000 doses of vaccine, for the 5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip ... and so far, the campaign only concerns front-line medical personnel.

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With our correspondent in Ramallah

,

Alice Froussard

Last week, the Palestinian Authority talked about an agreement to vaccinate 100,000 Palestinians working in Israel.

This time, COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian Territories, has confirmed that Palestinians with work permits will be vaccinated.

It will be the Moderna vaccine and the vaccination campaign will begin in the coming days, according to the published statement, at the checkpoints and in the industrial zones of the colonies. 

For Palestinians with a work permit, this is good news.

But the rest of the population is desperately waiting for more doses of the vaccine to arrive.

Several weeks ago, Palestinian officials, several international NGOs and the UN urged Israel to provide vaccines to 5 million Palestinians speaking " 

of obligation 

"

as a power

" 

Occupant

"

In the West Bank, the situation is not improving: there is an upsurge in cases among young people, and corona units in hospitals are full.

This Saturday, the authorities therefore decided to close schools, and intensify the partial lockdown imposed every weekend.

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  • Israel

  • Palestinian territories