Palestinians cancel Covid vaccine deal with Israel

Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine Photo: Reuters
Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine Photo: Reuters

Israel had agreed to transfer Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in exchange for a consignment to be delivered to the Palestinian Authority later this year.

The Palestinian Authority has cancelled an agreement with Israel to accept up to 1.4 million Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses in exchange for a consignment from Pfizer that it is due to receive in Septrember-October 2021. However, after receiving the first batch of 90,000 vaccine kits yesterday, the Palestinian Authority announced that it was returning them to Israel claiming that the specifications did not match those in the agreement

Negotiations over the a deal had been conducted over the past few months but the decision to go ahead on the matter was suspended by the previous government. Israel has previously given the Palestinian Authority several thousand vaccine doses for medical teams and vaccinated over 100,000 Palestinians working in Israel.

Israel has conducted one of the world's most successful Covid-19 vaccination rollouts with 5.5 million citizens vaccinated including 5.15 million with two jabs. As a result only a small handful of new Covid-19 cases are diagnosed each day. However, Israel has come under international criticism for failing to extend the vaccination campaign to the Palestinians.

A defense source told "Globes" that the vaccination deal agreed had an element of good will and symbolized a readiness by Israel's new government to improve the lives of the Palestinians.

Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 18, 2021

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2021

Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine Photo: Reuters
Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine Photo: Reuters
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