Three countries reportedly lined up to request the 1 million vaccines from Israel after Palestinians rejected the doses, it was reported Sunday.
Israel had previously agreed to provide over 1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority (PA) rejected the doses after receiving the first shipment.
The PA cited concerns over vaccine quality. Contrastingly, Israel’s health ministry said that the vaccines were “perfectly sound.” After the rejection, multiple countries reportedly began requesting the doses.
An unnamed diplomatic source told Haaretz that three countries have already lined up to request these Israeli vaccines “in case the deal with Palestinians isn’t renewed.” (RELATED: Palestinians Turn Down 1 Million Vaccine Doses From Israel)
The foreign minister of Israel, Yair Lapid, took to Twitter where he said that this offer was “for the benefit of other people in the region.” About 430,000 Palestinians were vaccinated thus far.
Israel today agreed a deal to transfer 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to the Palestinian Authority. We will continue to find effective ways to cooperate for the benefit of people in the region.
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid???? (@yairlapid) June 18, 2021
Over time, the PA has continually lost favor and trust among Palestinians. The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research conducted a recent study released June 15 that showed there has been a sharp decrease in trust for the PA, along with a sharp increase of support for Hamas, the terror group that controls the Gaza Strip.