Israeli and Palestinian NGOs petition for vaccinations in occupied West Bank and Gaza
Israeli and Palestinian NGOs have asked Israel’s Supreme Court to order the vaccination of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where coronavirus vaccine supplies against coronavirus are dangerously low.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHRI), one of the six groups that signed a petition on Thursday, said in a statement: “The Palestinian Authority has an insufficient number of vaccines, whereas, in what is practically the same area, the population of Israeli citizens and residents is almost fully vaccinated, reported by Morning Sun.
“This situation cannot be justified in any way. It violates both binding Israeli and international law as well as medical ethics, morality and sheer humanity.”
Israel has already administered jabs to over 50 per cent of its population, but vaccinations in the West Bank and Gaza are progressing slowly as the authorities have supplies available for less than 1.5 per of the population.
The petition follows a new peak of Covid-19 cases in the Palestinian territories last week, with about 25 per cent of test results being positive.