FeniksPolitik
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Team
    • Contact Us
  • Topics
    • Themes
      • COVID-19
      • Economy
      • Energy and Environment
      • Human Rights and Democracy
      • Migration
      • Security and Defense
    • Regions
      • Turkey
      • Americas
      • Asia
      • Balkans
      • Europe
      • Middle East
      • Russia and Eurasia
  • Analysis
  • Interview
  • FeniksPod
  • Synopsis
No Result
View All Result
Newsletter
DONATE
FeniksPolitik
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Team
    • Contact Us
  • Topics
    • Themes
      • COVID-19
      • Economy
      • Energy and Environment
      • Human Rights and Democracy
      • Migration
      • Security and Defense
    • Regions
      • Turkey
      • Americas
      • Asia
      • Balkans
      • Europe
      • Middle East
      • Russia and Eurasia
  • Analysis
  • Interview
  • FeniksPod
  • Synopsis
No Result
View All Result
FeniksPolitik
No Result
View All Result

Vaccinations in Israel: Extraordinary Success or Ordinary Exclusion?

More than half of Israel's population has now received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite these impressive results, criticisms of Israel’s exclusion of Palestinians from its vaccination campaign have come to the fore.

Büşra Nur Özgüler Aktel Büşra Nur Özgüler Aktel
April 7, 2021
in Synopsis
Reading Time: 3 mins read

Israel is now celebrating its emergence from pandemic lockdowns after leading the world in its vaccine rollout. More than half of its population has now received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite these impressive results, criticisms of Israel’s exclusion of Palestinians from its vaccination campaign have come to the fore.

Many point out that Israel cannot achieve herd immunity without inoculating Palestinians, especially if herd immunity isn’t achieved at the global level. The British, South African, and African variants and their higher transmission and fatality rates demonstrate the significance of the threat of potential mutations. Given this, Israel cannot ensure herd immunity without inoculating Palestinians. In the face of this threat, vaccination campaigns have now been expanded to include Palestinians with Israeli residency status in East Jerusalem. Since March, Israel has also been vaccinating Palestinians who work in Israel but reside in the West Bank. However, the vaccination of these relatively small groups of Palestinians is hardly enough to ensure Israeli or Palestinian public health.

Another important and perhaps more controversial matter relates to stark disparities in the public health realities of Israel on the one hand and the West Bank and Gaza on the other. In February, the Israeli government eased lockdowns thanks to the efficacy of its vaccination campaign in preventing hospitalizations and deaths, while the Palestinian authorities imposed a lockdown in the West Bank following a sharp rise in both infections and deaths. The situation in Gaza is even more urgent, where the health infrastructure is ill-equipped and unprepared to treat patients in this densely populated area.

Unequitable distribution of the vaccine is not only a problem in Israel and Palestine, it is global. “Vaccine apartheid” has resulted in a situation where 80% of all vaccines are destined for the world’s ten richest countries. Indeed, as one of these countries, Israel has paid a higher premium for its vaccines – at an average of $47 per person – whereas the US and the EU paid $19.50 and $14.76 per dose, respectively. Palestinians, on the other hand, fall $30 million short of being able to fund their vaccination plans “even after factoring in support from a global vaccine scheme for poorer economies”. Therefore, the Work Bank urged Israel to donate surplus doses to the West Bank and Gaza. Several international organizations have also criticized Israel for excluding most Palestinians from its vaccination campaign.

Israel responds to such criticism by claiming that the Oslo Accords stipulate that it is the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry to vaccinate Palestinians. Nonetheless, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a statement underlining that according to Article 56 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, it is Israel’s duty to provide Palestinians with access to COVID-19 vaccines within the occupied territories. Considering the fact that international law takes priority over the Oslo Accords, Israel would do well to shoulder greater responsibility.

MustRead

Iran Protests Diminish Nuclear Talks’ Chance of Success

Tunisia’s Half-Collapsed Democratic Transition: Synchronizing Economic and Political Development

Israel Puts Excessive Repression To Cut Off Any Unified Palestinian Mobilization

Yet, instead of taking responsibility, Israel is actually making it more challenging for Palestinians to get access to vaccines. In particular, Gaza has been facing logistical challenges in receiving vaccines due to the blockade that has been imposed on the area by Israel and Egypt since 2007. Thus, the exclusion of Palestinians from Israel’s vaccination program is considered as “reflective of a system of apartheid”, that is, in the words of the UN, “morally and legally unacceptable”.

Tags: COVID-19IsraelMiddle EastPalastinePandemicVaccine
ShareTweetShareSend

Related Posts

Untold Legal Principles Favouring Turkey in Aegean Maritime Disputes
Synopsis

Turkey-Greece Tensions Rise With A Risk Of Conflict Ahead Of Elections

June 10, 2022
Turkey’s Policies Towards Bosnia Wander Between Myth and Reality
Synopsis

Turkey’s Policies Towards Bosnia Wander Between Myth and Reality

March 15, 2022
Is The EU Promoting ‘Stabilitocracies’ In The Western Balkans?
Synopsis

Is The EU Promoting ‘Stabilitocracies’ In The Western Balkans?

February 15, 2022
Documentary: Turkey Uses Islam to Increase its Soft Power in Bosnia
Synopsis

Documentary: Turkey Uses Islam to Increase its Soft Power in Bosnia

December 1, 2021
EU Warns of Democratic Backsliding in Turkey
Synopsis

EU Warns of Democratic Backsliding in Turkey

October 21, 2021
International Law and Conventional Economy Lag Behind Environmental Crisis
Synopsis

International Law and Conventional Economy Lag Behind Environmental Crisis

October 7, 2021
Load More
Newsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter below and never miss the latest articles or podcasts.

Name
Email
Affiliation
  • Home
  • About
  • Topics
  • Analysis
  • Interview
  • FeniksPod
  • Synopsis

© 2022 FeniksPolitik | High-quality analyses, interviews, and podcasts on Turkey, international politics and security affairs.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Team
    • Contact Us
  • Topics
    • Themes
      • COVID-19
      • Economy
      • Energy and Environment
      • Human Rights and Democracy
      • Migration
      • Security and Defense
    • Regions
      • Turkey
      • Americas
      • Asia
      • Balkans
      • Europe
      • Middle East
      • Russia and Eurasia
  • Analysis
  • Interview
  • FeniksPod
  • Synopsis
Newsletter Signup

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter below and never miss the latest articles or podcasts.

Name
Email
Affiliation
Go to mobile version
Send this to a friend