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The Covid Vaccine Blood Libel Against Israel

(JNS) Jonathan S. Tobin - The headline of the Guardian on Jan. 3 proclaimed: "Palestinians excluded from Israeli Covid vaccine rollout." But it's a lie. Arab citizens of Israel are being vaccinated just like Jewish citizens. Arabs who live in united Jerusalem but who have chosen not to become Israeli citizens are also getting the vaccine. Israel doesn't administer the daily lives or the health-care system of Palestinians who live in the West Bank, run by the Palestinian Authority, or in Gaza, ruled by Hamas. Moreover, Palestinians don't want Israel to take over their local government and health care. This is not just another example of inaccurate Mideast reporting by journalists who don't know any better. Claiming that Israel is deliberately depriving Palestinians of a life-saving vaccine pumps new life into old anti-Semitic canards that amount to blood libels against Jews. Allegations about the vaccine are just the latest entry in a long list of untruths about Israel intended to make it seem uniquely evil. Casting the Jews in the role of murderer of non-Jews stands at the heart of classic anti-Semitic tropes. Those responsible for this particular libel not only ought to apologize, but recognize that what they have done is not advocacy for Palestinians or human rights. It is a hate crime for which they ought to be held accountable.
2021-01-07 00:00:00
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