Ruadhán Jones
The Israeli Embassy in Ireland has hit back at a statement by the Vatican’s Holy Land Coordination Group that Israel has a “legal responsibility” to vaccinate Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
In a statement released by the group, which included Irish bishops Dr Noel Treanor and Dr Fintan Monahan, they stated that Israel has a “moral, legal and humanitarian responsibility to make Covid-19 vaccines accessible for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza”.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy responded to the statement, saying that “the State of Israel has done its utmost to assist the Palestinian Authority throughout the pandemic by training Palestinian medical staff both from the West Bank and Gaza, by facilitating the supply of thousands of donated test kits, large volumes of Personal Protective Equipment, and assisting with other aid activities”.
The spokesperson continued, stating that under the Oslo Accords and international law, “all civic powers and responsibilities – including in the sphere of health – in the West Bank and Gaza are under the mandate of the Palestinians. This includes responsibility for vaccinations of the Palestinian population.”
The spokesperson affirmed Israel’s commitment to ”do whatever is needed to facilitate the supply of such vaccines to the Palestinian Authority”.