Israel approves COVID vaccines for undocumented persons, but not for Palestinians
Health Ministry bars thousands of West Bank Palestinians living in Israel from getting vaccinated at makeshift COVID clinics around the country.
Palestinian workers from the West Bank city of Hebron carry personal belongings as they arrive to cross to Israel at a checkpoint in Tarqumiya, March 18, 2020. Photo by Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90
When Tel Aviv’s municipality opened a COVID-19 vaccine center last week for asylum seekers, migrant workers, and status-less communities in the city’s old Central Bus Station, hundreds immediately stood in line for hours. Local and international media reported on the opening of the center, noting that Israel is one of the first countries to provide vaccines to its undocumented residents, including African refugees and Thai migrant workers.