Israel’s decision to give 5,000 vaccine doses to Palestinian health workers is wholly inadequate, rights group says CNBC 3/02/2021 Natasha Turak
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz s office announced that the transfer had been approved on Sunday, marking the first such move since the country of 9 million began receiving shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in mid-December.
Israel has since then deployed what s become the fastest vaccination campaign in the world in terms of shots per person.
Rights organizations say the lack of equitable vaccine distribution to Palestinian territories is a dereliction of duty by Israel, which is classified by the U.N. as an occupier state.
BICOM
3rd February 2021
The Telegraph reports that hundreds of pro-democracy protestors were arrested last night in Istanbul. Protests have been ongoing for over a month, but this week they focused on the appointment of Melihu Bulu as the new rector of BoÄaziçi University. Bulu was appointed in early January without any consultation with the universityâs faculty or administration, which caused anger across the student population. Some students suggested Bulu is responsible for the escalation in violence towards the protestors. This week protestors were hit with plastic bullets and pepper spray.
The Independent reports that Turkeyâs Interior Minister called the protesting students âLGBT pervertsâ on his twitter, prompting the company to limit access to his profile.
Crossing COVID chasm between Israel and Palestinians
While Israeli-Palestinian Businessman Ismail Daiq, 62, has already had his second vaccine shot, his siblings and 95-year-old mother from the West Bank are still awaiting a vaccine rollout that has only gone underway in PA
Reuters |
Published: 02.03.21 , 20:28
As a Palestinian living in Jerusalem, Ismail Daiq is used to negotiating the dividing lines between communities: the daily commute to his Jordan Valley date farm involves crossing a checkpoint on his way home.
Now the coronavirus pandemic has created another faultline for him to navigate: the stark difference between access to vaccines in Israel and in the Palestinian territories.
CoronavirusIsrael
By Aryeh Stern
YERUSHALAYIM -
Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 4:33 am | כ א שבט תשפ א
A man receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a Meuhedet vaccination center in Yerushalayim, Tuesday. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The Director General of the Health Ministry, Prof. Chezi Levy, has instructed the
kupot cholim (HMOs) to begin providing vaccinations to all citizens ages 16 and above from Thursday.
The Health Ministry asked citizens between ages 18 and 35 to book appointments by contacting their HMO providers.
Despite the decision, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and the ministry’s director general instructed HMOs to concentrate efforts on individuals aged 50 and above.
Meanwhile, as Israel continues to lead the world in vaccinating its population, the Health Ministry has found that very few Israelis are reporting feeling side effects after receiving the vaccine. Most of the side effects were light and temporary.
Israel to extend COVID vaccine drive to anyone over 16 starting Thursday haaretz.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from haaretz.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.