New Israeli government and Palestinian Authority reach deal on COVID vaccines

Source: Axios

The new Israeli government agreed on Friday to transfer 1.2 million doses of Pfizer COVID vaccines to the Palestinian Authority. In return, Israel will receive the Pfizer vaccine shipment that the Palestinians were expected to get in October.

Why it matters: It's the first major decision by the new Israeli government on the Palestinian issue. Negotiations on the deal began during Netanyahu’s term but were expedited by the new government, Israeli health officials say.

Driving the news: The vaccines Israel will transfer to the Palestinian Authority are doses that will expire soon, and which Israel doesn’t need anymore because the majority of the population has already been vaccinated.

Israeli officials say this will allow the Palestinians to get the vaccines they urgently need three months ahead of time. Israel will get the shipment the Palestinians ordered from Pfizer that was supposed to arrive in the West Bank in October. As part of the agreement, the vaccines will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority, who will distribute them in the West Bank. No vaccines will be transferred to Hamas-controlled Gaza at the moment. A first shipment of more than 100,000 doses will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority on Friday, and the rest next week.



Read more: https://www.axios.com/israel-palestinian-authority-covid-vaccines-34565ee9-36ea-4b9e-ab52-6e98f90447d8.html