WhatsappDoes Israel not vaccinate it’s Arab population? In general, does Israel take care of it’s Arab minority’s medical needs or not? Let’s look into this. Now that Israel is in the scopes of the world for succeeding in vaccinating a massive chunk of it’s population in record time, it is a good time to analyze the situation among Israel’s Arab population.
On @nbcsnl one of the most watched shows in the US, they joked about Israel vaccinating “only Jews” this week.
— יוסף חדאד-Yoseph Haddad-يوسف حداد (@YosephHaddad) February 21, 2021
As an Israeli Arab, I can confirm that not only is this not true, but it’s also not really funny either.
Watch! pic.twitter.com/gAPxKomMkU
The State of Israel has 2 large chunks of Arabs who live in the State of Israel. There are those who are citizens, with full voting rights. They are the Arabs who live in pre-1967 State of Israel borders. There are around 1.5-2 million Arabs in this category. But the estimates vary as to whether these numbers are lower or higher. In addition, there are another 1.5-2 million Arabs who live in the disputed areas of Judea and Samaria. Some claim this number is higher and some claim it is lower.
On any given day, thousands of Arabs from both of these categories receive top of the notch, Jewish and Arab medical care in Israeli hospitals. People literally walk in or arrive with ambulances and receive care – no matter where they are from. There are Arab hospitals that some Arabs prefer to go to for religious and ethnic reasons. But, nearly all very complicated cases end up in Jewish hospitals. As far as vaccinations, Israel has vaccinated around a million Arabs already – more than nearly any Arab country. However, the Palestinian Authority, who administers their own medical clinics, do not want to be forced to vaccinate their own people. Israel is encouraging it in every way possible, but not in a public way so as to embarrass the Palestinian Authority. Additionally, Israel is giving out some of their vaccinations to poor countries that are having difficulty purchasing the vaccines.
The best place to be an Arab in the Middle East is Israel – especially as far as medical care goes.
