Palestine secures Covid-19 vaccine

The Palestinian Authority, an interim self-government body, said it's hammered out a deal with British manufacturing giant AstraZeneca to acquire doses of its Covid-19 vaccine.

An elderly Palestinian sits with mask and latex gloves outside a closed shop in the centre of Hebron in the occupied West Bank [File: Hazem Bader/AFP]

PA said it's expecting to receive its first shipment by March. They're also currently in talks with Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Russia, about acquiring their vaccines.

Supplies from the World Health Organization are also expected to come in as part of the health organization's vaccination supply program to assist poor and middle-income countries acquire the treatment.

Israel on the other hand is flourishing with vaccines and is widely considered as the world leader in immunization its citizens against the virus. Criticism, however, not to include Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, on their vaccination program, is spurring.

“The search by the Palestinian leadership to secure the vaccines from various sources doesn’t exempt Israel from its responsibilities towards the Palestinian people in providing the vaccines,” PA said.

Palestine's foreign ministry went as far to even describe Israel's practices as "racially motivated discrimination against the Palestinian people, depriving them of their right to healthcare."

Human rights groups such as Amnesty International have called on the Israeli government to stop secluding Palestinians, arguing that they have a legal obligation to provide vaccinations to everyone under their occupation.

Israeli officials have disputed the claim of discriminating against Palestinians, saying their plan has always been to share the vaccine once its own domestic needs are met.

By: Niza Nondo