Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Benny Gantz have approved the request from the Palestinian Authority to vaccinate Palestinian workers holding permits to work in Israel and in the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria. The vaccination rollout will begin in the coming few days.
The request was formally made by both the building contractors who employ most of the Palestinian workers and the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.
Altogether there are 120,000 Palestinians with permits to work in Israel or Jewish settlements. In the first stage, 50,000 Palestinian workers will each receive two vaccine doses and if the inoculation drive is successful the other 70,000 Palestinian workers will receive vaccinations. It has not yet been decided whether a vaccination will be a precondition for working in Israel.
The vaccine drive will be conducted by Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) together with IDF Central Command, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense Crossing points Authority. The rollout will begin in the coming few days with vaccination centers being set up at checkpoints in Judea and Samaria where Palestinian workers enter Israel. Israeli medical staff will administer inoculations with Moderna Covid vaccine doses.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 28, 2021
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