Vaccination campaign for Palestinian workers in Israel has just started

Audio 01:22

Doses are still pending in the West Bank, at a time when the number of coronavirus infections is only increasing (illustrative image).

© REUTERS / Mohamad Torokman

Text by: RFI Follow

4 min

Some 100,000 people will benefit, they work in Israeli industrial zones, in construction or transport, for lack of opportunity on the other side of the wall.

Their vaccination was set up by Magen David Adom, the equivalent of the Red Cross.

A pilot test took place on Sunday for 700 workers.

Now those with a permit to work in Israel and the settlements in the occupied West Bank can receive their first injection at checkpoints.

Report from a vaccination center in N'lin, a checkpoint west of Ramallah. 

Publicity

Read more

With our correspondent in Ramallah,

Alice Froussard

Behind the bars of the checkpoint, a long line of Palestinian workers.

They are dozens and dozens and enter in turn, give their identity cards and work permits to young Israeli soldiers waiting for them on the other side.

Then, everyone goes to the 4 vaccination stands, open until 6 p.m.

Mohammad Mahmoud Ghorobi, 41, lives in Beitunia and works in Ashdod, Israel, in construction.

He has just received his first injection.

" 

The company where I work has organized everything so that we can receive this vaccine against the coronavirus," he

explains.

Then we all got an invitation to come here today.

Our employer took all the workers to the checkpoint.

Everything was very fast

.

»One injection, then a 15-minute wait.

Everything was coordinated with COGAT, the body of the Ministry of Defense in charge of Palestinian civil affairs.

In a statement, according to them, it is a " 

health and economic interest

 " for the two countries, at a time when nearly 40% of

the Israeli population is vaccinated.

At the exit, three men wait next to a car.

One of them received his vaccine, but not the others, who nevertheless tried: “ 

It's just for those who have a permit.

Not everyone can have it

 ”.

His wife, for example, did not benefit from it,

Doses are still pending in the West Bank, as the number of coronavirus infections continues to increase.

►

Read also: 

Covid-19: Israel is preparing to vaccinate 100,000 Palestinian workers

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Israel

• Palestinian territories

• Coronavirus

• Vaccines