By: Nico Berns
Is Israel Responsible for non-Israeli Palestinian’s Vaccinations?
Israel has been praised for its record vaccination pace, with over half of its population fully vaccinated as of April 15th. This includes Jews, Arabs, Christians, and all of those who are legal residents and citizens. The media, however, has raised questions regarding whether or not Israel is responsible for vaccinating Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. These are the two main regions of the Palestinian Authority. In response to pressure from human rights and government watchdog groups, the nation has agreed to vaccinate over 100,000 Palestinian citizens working in Israel. Israel should set aside political conflicts to inoculate the Palestinian population, if not for legal reasons, then for the sake of the public health of the region.
The two societies of Israel and Palestine are in close contact geographically and economically. For example, many who live in Palestine have family in Israel and vice-versa, as well as many cross the border to go to work. According to Al-Monitor, a Middle East analytics website, “In 2017, 21% of all workers in [Israeli] construction were Palestinian. Without them the industry would be paralyzed,” thus showing how interdependent these nations are. Therefore, if one country helps the other, it would, in turn, help itself. Since in this case, Israel has at least a sufficient amount of vaccines for its own country, it should help Palestine, but if it didn’t, the debate would not be as morally obvious as well as in terms of public health. Former Deputy Director General of Israel’s Health Ministry, Itamar Grotto, has pointed out that many scientists and health officials agree that Israel’s vaccination and aid for Palestinian citizens would be beneficial to all parties involved. This issue should be kept away from Israel-Palestine politics and legal disputes, and political leaders should follow the guidance of medical experts such as Grotto.
Those who believe that Israel is responsible for immunizing the Palestinian population argue that the Geneva Conventions law should apply. This international law states that a country occupying another must be responsible for its public health. In opposition, Israeli officials have asserted that the 1993 and 1995 Oslo Accords–treaties that have been made between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization–give the obligation of health care to the Palestinian Authority. The United Nations has weighed in, asserting that the international law of the Geneva Convention overrides that of the Oslo Accords. This places even more pressure on Israel to vaccinate Palestinians.
Yet, the minimal aid accepted by Palestine for Palestinian citizens to fight the coronavirus hints that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas does not care about the safety of his people as much as he does giving Israel bad optics. In defense of this decision, Palestine’s Health Minister, Mai Kaila, argued that “[they] are a sovereign country,” and thus, “refused to receive the medical aid.” This implies that since Palestine argues that is a sovereign country, the Geneva Conventions’ laws stated above do not apply to this situation. Palestine should prioritize the health of its citizens over ongoing tensions with its neighbor.
When national health is on the line, legal arguments should not be the driving factor behind decisions on health. It should not matter whether the Oslo Accords take precedence over the Geneva Conventions, or vice versa. As long as Israeli and Palestinian citizens are able to get vaccinated, scientific input should be the overhead for vaccine distribution, not politics.
Vaccinations in Israel, USA, and Palestine per 100 people.