Anti-vaccination and anti-masking advocates are circulating misleading and false claims about inoculation and infection rates in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.

Dr. Osama Abuirshaid and Ayah Ziyadeh discuss Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, a new pro-Palestine political advocacy group in Washington D.C.

Francesca Albanese and Dr. Lex Takkenberg discuss the origins of the Palestinian refugee crisis, its role within international law, and whether Israel’s actions constitute apartheid.

After months of a stalled rollout, the vaccination rate in the West Bank and Gaza has increased to nearly a quarter of the eligible population, following new inoculation sites.

Of countries that are moving forward with administering a third dose, all have vaccination rates over 60%, while the lowest-income countries have a vaccination rate hovering around 1%.

Israelis over 60 will receive a third coronavirus vaccine, or booster shot, after new cases skyrocketed from an outbreak of the more contagious Delta variant. It’s unclear whether or not Palestinians will adopt these measures, as of now most of the Palestinian population is not fully vaccinated. In fact, according to the ministry of health, only 412,136 have received both jabs. 

As “more and more cases of the infectious Delta variant” are confirmed, the World Health Organization said Thursday it “fears that the fourth wave of COVID-19 is around the corner” for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, reversing the first major decrease in new cases that had occurred over the spring.

While we are continuing to see the overall number of new coronavirus cases decline in the West Bank, the highly contagious delta variant is spreading throughout the Palestinian territory, causing health officials to pull the alarm and enact a four-day closure over the entire city of Jenin.

The delta variant has reached the West Bank. While previous mutations of the coronavirus have caused waves of concern, none have been this contagious or dangerous in terms of delaying national reopening plans.

More details have emerged on how a deal over vaccines broke down between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and what Palestinians want from a new deal.