Israel to begin vaccinating Palestinian prisoners
Israel to begin vaccinating Palestinian prisoners
Israel has announced it will begin vaccinating Palestinian prisoners over 55 against coronavirus but continues to refuse to vaccinate Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
2 min read
Israel says it is not responsible for the vaccination of Palestinians in occupied territories [Getty]
Israel has said will begin administering the Covid-19 vaccine in prisons, including among Palestinian detainees.
The inclusion of Palestinian prisoners in the inoculation drive comes despite Tel Aviv's wider refusal to immunise Palestinians in the occupied West Bank against the novel coronavirus.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein told reporters on Thursday that the country would begin vaccinating inmates aged over 55 next week.
Public Security Minister Amir Ohana had earlier called on officials to refrain from immunising prisoners, saying that only prison guards should be administered the vaccine.
Edelstein's comments follow criticism of Ohana's remarks by President Reuben Rivlin, who said refusing to vaccinate inmates would be "inconsistent" with Israeli values.
More than 4,000 Palestinians, most of them political detainees, are currently held in Israeli prisons, according to official data.
Israel's immunisation drive has been the subject of much discussion internationally, with many countries praising its speed and efficiency.
Read more: Why is Israel denying Covid vaccine to Palestinians? Two words - Medical apartheid
However, the government's rejection of claims it has a responsibility to vaccinate Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip has prompted fierce condemnation from rights groups and activists.
United Nations Special Rapporteurs Michael Lynk and Tlaleng Mofokeng have said that Israel, as an occupying power, has a responsibility to help combat epidemics under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
"More than 4.5 million Palestinians will remain unprotected and exposed to Covid-19, while Israeli citizens living near and among them – including the Israeli settler population – will be vaccinated. Morally and legally, this differential access to necessary health care in the midst of the worst global health crisis in a century is unacceptable," the UN experts said in a statement on Thursday.
"We are particularly concerned about the deteriorating health situation in Gaza, which suffers from a 13-year-old blockade, serious water and electricity shortages, and endemic poverty and unemployment," the statement continued.
Israel last week rejected pleas from the World Health Organisation to make the Covid-19 jab available to Palestinian health workers at least, The Independent reported.
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The inclusion of Palestinian prisoners in the inoculation drive comes despite Tel Aviv's wider refusal to immunise Palestinians in the occupied West Bank against the novel coronavirus.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein told reporters on Thursday that the country would begin vaccinating inmates aged over 55 next week.
Public Security Minister Amir Ohana had earlier called on officials to refrain from immunising prisoners, saying that only prison guards should be administered the vaccine.
Edelstein's comments follow criticism of Ohana's remarks by President Reuben Rivlin, who said refusing to vaccinate inmates would be "inconsistent" with Israeli values.
More than 4,000 Palestinians, most of them political detainees, are currently held in Israeli prisons, according to official data.
Israel's immunisation drive has been the subject of much discussion internationally, with many countries praising its speed and efficiency.
Read more: Why is Israel denying Covid vaccine to Palestinians? Two words - Medical apartheid
However, the government's rejection of claims it has a responsibility to vaccinate Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip has prompted fierce condemnation from rights groups and activists.
United Nations Special Rapporteurs Michael Lynk and Tlaleng Mofokeng have said that Israel, as an occupying power, has a responsibility to help combat epidemics under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
"More than 4.5 million Palestinians will remain unprotected and exposed to Covid-19, while Israeli citizens living near and among them – including the Israeli settler population – will be vaccinated. Morally and legally, this differential access to necessary health care in the midst of the worst global health crisis in a century is unacceptable," the UN experts said in a statement on Thursday.
"We are particularly concerned about the deteriorating health situation in Gaza, which suffers from a 13-year-old blockade, serious water and electricity shortages, and endemic poverty and unemployment," the statement continued.
Israel last week rejected pleas from the World Health Organisation to make the Covid-19 jab available to Palestinian health workers at least, The Independent reported.
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