JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel’s Attorney General has warned Benjamin Netanyahu that he cannot share the country’s surplus vaccines alone with distant allies in Africa, Europe and Latin America, and that such an important decision should not be made by the Prime Minister alone. can be taken.
In an official letter, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit states that Netanyahu should have consulted the cabinet for such a plan. The Justice Department released the letter, addressed to national security adviser, Meir Ben Shabbat, on Monday.
Netanyahu’s announcement last week of his decision to share some of Israel’s vaccine supply had caused a stir and was later frozen over legal questions in Israel. but not before thousands of vaccine doses were shipped to Honduras and reportedly the Czech Republic.
Netanyahu has not identified the countries he intended to receive Israeli vaccines, but an Israeli TV station said they include a number of nations supporting Israel’s claims to the disputed city of Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel has vaccinated more than half of its population against the coronavirus in one of the world’s most successful vaccination programs since late December. Netanyahu sees the country’s vaccination success as a personal achievement as part of his campaign ahead of the upcoming March 23 elections.
The prime minister struck deals with drug manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna to ensure adequate supplies for Israel’s 9.3 million people.
But his controversial plan at home raises questions about Netanyahu’s decision-making and his choice to help countries in Africa and Latin America at a time of global shortages and when neighboring Palestinian territories are struggling to secure their own vaccine supplies.
Critics say Netanyahu’s plan illustrates how the prime minister is treating the vaccine as an asset that can be used for diplomatic gain.
On Sunday, Israel announced plans to vaccinate tens of thousands of Palestinians working in Israel and settlements in the West Bank. Previously, Israel had shared 2,000 vaccines with the Palestinian Authority to protect first-line medical personnel in the West Bank.
In his letter, Mandelblit recommends that for “proper and complete governmental process” all decisions regarding the transfer of Israel’s vaccines abroad should be made by the relevant authorities.
In light of the importance and diplomatic implications of such a decision, Mandelblit said it was “appropriate that the topic be brought up for discussion in the government, cabinet, or other forum that includes all relevant ministers in the case.”