The Zulat Institute calls on Israel’s leadership to fulfill its legal and moral obligation to vaccinate all Palestinians in the Occupied Territories under its control.
This policy paper touches on the acute gap between the state of corona vaccination in Israel (among the world’s highest) and in the Occupied Territories, and with different aspects of Israel’s non-compliance with its commitment to provide vaccines to the Palestinians.
Its publication comes a few days after the ceasefire signed in recent days after yet another round of fighting with Hamas that claimed the lives of many and inflicted much damage.
As a result of the enormous damage caused by the Israeli bombings, it will now be even more difficult for the Gazan population to prevent infection and manage the pandemic.
Now more than ever, in light of the vast destruction it inflicted and to prevent the death of many more people, Israel must fulfill its commitment to vaccinate the Palestinians under its control. Rehabilitating Gaza is not just Israel’s humanitarian duty, but also part of what might prevent another round of fighting in the near future.
In addition, totally unconnected to the last round of fighting, in view of the fact that it has the capacity and resources, and as part of its commitment as the occupying power, Israel must immediately proceed to ensure the fulfillment of the right to health and to a dignified life of all residents of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, and see to it that they are given the opportunity to be vaccinated.
The demand to provide vaccines to the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories is in no way connected to our unequivocal call to lift the siege on Gaza and put an end to Israel’s control over it and the rest of the Occupied Territories. However, as long as the occupation continues, Israel must fulfill its commitment to vaccinate all human beings under its rule, and all the more so in the wake of the great destruction it inflicted in recent days in the Gaza Strip.
