OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel on Sunday confirmed it will vaccinate against coronavirus Palestinians in the West Bank with permits to work in Jewish settlements in the occupied territory and inside Israel.

The Palestinian Authority said last week it had reached an agreement with Israel that would see the Jewish state vaccinate 100,000 Palestinian labourers. The Israeli military branch responsible for civil affairs in Palestinian territories, COGAT, said in a statement Sunday the vaccinations had been “approved by the political echelon... in order to maintain public health and the functioning of the economy”.

COGAT said Israel will “conduct a vaccination campaign for Palestinian workers with employment licenses in Israel and in the communities across Judea and Samaria”, which are the biblical names used widely in Israel for the occupied West Bank.

The vaccinations will begin “in the coming days” and take place at crossing points between Israel and the West Bank and in industrial zones linked to Jewish settlements, where many Palestinians work. The Palestinians will be receiving the Moderna vaccine, COGAT said.