The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way in which most of us live our lives and caused death and serious illness on a global scale that was scarcely imaginable only a year ago. The advent of effective vaccines which appear to provide broad protection against the virus is the first welcome signs of light at the end of that dark tunnel.
Israel has been at the forefront of this process, with the world’s highest vaccination rate, with over 4m vaccines administered, including 90% of over 50’s. However, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have only received 32,000 doses of vaccines (enough for less than .6% of its population), most of which have gone to senior members of the Palestinian Authority rather than vulnerable Palestinians. As of Monday, March 9th, Israel will begin vaccinating 120,000 Palestinian workers at border crossings and industrial zones. While there are disagreements on Israel’s legal obligation as an occupying power to vaccinate Palestinians, and over how receptive the Palestinian Authority has been to such cooperation: ALLMEP and its members, including Gershon Baskin, are united in a belief in the fundamental equality of Israelis and Palestinians. Our growing number of members focused on public health also know all too well that the continued presence of COVID-19 anywhere threatens us all, with this especially true for Israelis and Palestinians who despite political divisions share the same physical space.
