. . . Arthur Stark, Chairman, William Daroff, CEO, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Vice Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement:
“We denounce the baseless accusations leveled at the government of Israel regarding the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines that have regrettably been given credence by media reports and even by a few members of Congress. Despite the Palestinian Authority, not Israel, being responsible for the healthcare of Palestinians under the terms of the 1993 Oslo Accords, and the fact that the Palestinian Authority has insisted that it would independently source its vaccine supply from Russia and the World Health Organization, the Israeli government has taken numerous steps to improve the health and wellbeing of Palestinians during this pandemic.
In addition to consistently providing and facilitating the delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) throughout the pandemic, this week Israel transferred 2,000 doses to the Palestinian Authority out of 5,000 expected to be sent in the coming days, and 20,000 in the ensuing weeks.
Despite these efforts of goodwill, the Palestinian Authority continues to demonstrate that it is more concerned with incentivizing violence and compensating terrorists through its despicable ‘pay to slay’ program than with the healthcare needs of the Palestinian people. Its rejection of offers of cooperation with Israel in purchasing vaccines and refusal to accept Covid-related medical equipment sent by the United Arab Emirates, through Israel, shows that responsibility for the slow rate of vaccinations lies squarely with Palestinian leadership.
We hope that the Palestinian people and the world will hold the Palestinian Authority accountable for a response to the pandemic that has prioritized hating the Jewish State over saving Palestinian lives.”
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