Israel gives countries that recognise Jerusalem as its capital covid vaccine

February 24, 2021 at 2:03 pm | Published in:  Middle East Monitor

February 24, 2021 at 2:03 pm

Israel is to send covid vaccines to the occupied West Bank and a number of countries who have improved their relations with the occupation state, Haaretz has reported.

It is unknown how many doses of the vaccine Tel Aviv plans to distribute, but the recipients are expected to be the Czech Republic, Hungary, Guatemala and Honduras, the occupied West Bank and one other unnamed country.

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Guatemala and Honduras have all recognised occupied Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital.

"In light of the successful vaccination campaign in Israel, the leading country in the world in inoculating the population, Israel has received many requests from the countries of the world to assist with the supply of vaccines," a statement by the Prime Minister's Office said.

However, Meretz Chairperson Tamar Zandberg called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allocate more of the vaccines to the West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip.

"Israel, the West Bank and Gaza are considered one bloc epidemiologically, and Israel, as the controlling force of the Palestinians and their fate, has an obligation to fulfill by sending vaccines to the Palestinian Authority. Giving them vaccines is not an act of goodwill, rather an obligation of the State of Israel," Zanberg wrote in a letter to Netanyahu.

Gaza launched a drive to rollout the coronavirus vaccine on Monday after Israel allowed Russia's donation of its Sputnik V inoculation to enter the enclave late last week. The UAE has donated a further 20,000 doses to Gaza.