Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib again took aim at Israel on Tuesday, calling the Jewish state "racist" for allegedly failing to provide coronavirus vaccines to the Palestinians.
Under the terms of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority is responsible for the healthcare of its own population and has repeatedly said it is obtaining Russia's Sputnik V vaccines via a UN scheme.
In an interview with the "Democracy Now!" TV show, Tlaib pointed at Israel's successful coronavirus vaccination drive, which saw one in every five Israelis inoculated so far, while adding that Israeli government must launch a similar campaign in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Tlaib accused Israel of "denying" the Palestinians "access to a vaccine" due to an alleged belief that Palestinians are not equally human.
"Israel has no intention of ever being caring or allowing equality or freedom for them as their neighbors," Tlaib said, claiming the vaccine situation only proves her point.
The Palestinian Authority officials said Tuesday they expect to receive the first batch of Sputnik V vaccine by the weekend. The PA hopes to administer the vaccine to 50,000 residents by March, after last week granting the drug emergency approval.
Palestinian health officials said the first in line for the vaccines would be medical personnel, the elderly and those with chronic diseases - in Gaza as well as in the West Bank.
Republished with permission from i24NEWS