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AP Falsely Casts Israel as Responsible for Providing Palestinians with Vaccines
(CAMERA) Tamar Sternthal - A Dec. 17 Associated Press headline, "Palestinians left waiting as Israel is set to deploy vaccine," captures the false notion that Palestinians are a party with no agency, while it is Israel that holds responsibility for the Palestinians' access to vaccines, or lack thereof. According to the Oslo Accords, Palestinian authorities - not Israel - are responsible for the health care, including vaccines, of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, a key fact completely concealed by the story. The vast majority of West Bank Palestinians live under the civilian and security control of the Palestinian Authority. Palestinians in Gaza live under a Palestinian government ruled by Hamas. The Times of Israel reported on Dec. 9 that efforts to coordinate Israeli-Palestinian cooperation on procuring vaccines for Palestinians was stymied by the Palestinian decision to cut off all coordination with Israel. The writer is director of CAMERA's Israel Office.