Ensure Palestinians have access to COVID-19 vaccines
Authors: Steven Martin, Thalia Arawi
Journal: The Lancet (2021)

The health predicament in the occupied Palestinian territory has been inexcusable,1Horton R Offline: The health of Palestinians is a global responsibility.Lancet. 2018; 3921612Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar and the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating problems.2Moss D Majadle G Battling COVID-19 in the occupied Palestinian territory.Lancet Glob Health. 2020; 8: e1127-e1128Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (11) Google Scholar As of Feb 8, 2021, WHO reports that more than 183 000 Palestinians have tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and more than 2000 people have died from COVID-19. According to the UN, "Israel has not ensured that Palestinians under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza will have any near-future access to the available vaccines".3UN Human RightsOfficer of the High CommissionerIsrael/OPT: UN experts call on Israel to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines for Palestinians.https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26655&LangID=EDate: Jan 14, 2021Date accessed: January 18, 2021Google Scholar This statement is despite WHO's roadmap for COVID-19 vaccine prioritisation4WHOWHO SAGE roadmap for prioritising the use of COVID-19 vaccines in the context of limited supply.https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-sage-roadmap-for-prioritizing-uses-of-covid-19-vaccines-in-the-context-of-limited-supplyDate: Nov 13, 2020Date accessed: January 18, 2021Google Scholar stating that people in particular settings (eg, refugee and detention camps, prisons) should be prioritised for vaccination. We recognise that Palestinians have the right to life, health, and dignity. Differential access to necessary health care is ethically and legally unacceptable and, under the terms of The Geneva Conventions, Israel has a responsibility for those living under its occupation; the 1995 Israeli–Palestinian Interim Agreement cannot be used as a justification for Israeli inaction. We call on media organisations to report on the serious health burden and increasing number of lives at risk as COVID-19 spreads among the Palestinian people. Media organisations have a moral responsibility to report on this situation without discrimination and with moral courage. We support agencies, such as WHO and Amnesty International, in their efforts to demand that Israel ensure swift and equitable access to vaccines and increase the health-care system's capacity in the occupied Palestinian territory. However, theseorganisations do not have the executive power to force states to respect rights. Israel needs to fulfil its international obligations by providing full financial support to ensure that any programmes meet minimum standards. We call on multilateral development banks to support the expansion of Palestinian public health-care infrastructure and capacity to allow Palestinians a dignified life that any person deserves, as per the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We call on manufacturers developing these crucial vaccines to ensure access for all Palestinian people under occupation, including those living in refugee and detention camps, which could involve donations of storage units and equipment. Finally, we call on individuals and civil society organisations to raise global awareness of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and ask Israel to honour its commitment to medical ethics and human rights by ensuring access to COVID-19 vaccines for Palestinians living under occupation. Israel has a moral obligation to ensure that Palestinians have access to COVID-19 vaccines available under emergency use mechanisms or compassionate use and to support such a vaccination programme. Anything short of that is a breach of medical and professional ethics and a clear act of discrimination. For WHO updates on COVID-19 in the occupied Palestinian territories see http://www.emro.who.int/countries/pse/index.html For WHO updates on COVID-19 in the occupied Palestinian territories see http://www.emro.who.int/countries/pse/index.html We declare no competing interests. Offline: The health of Palestinians is a global responsibilityWHO recently published a report on the health challenges facing people living in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). The study, Right to Health 2017, notes that the Gaza Strip has been under land, sea, and air blockade for over a decade. Its health system has experienced de-development and suffers from shortages of essential medicines and supplies. WHO describes how patients in Gaza have faced increased restrictions on accessing care outside the Strip. In 2017, only 54% of applications from 12 153 patients were approved in time for those patients to be able to attend their hospital appointments. Full-Text PDF