JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel’s attorney general has warned Benjamin Netanyahu that he cannot share the country’s surplus vaccines exclusively with long-range allies in Africa, Europe and Latin America, and that the prime minister cannot make such an important decision.
In an official letter, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit argues that Netanyahu should have consulted the cabinet for such a plan. The justice ministry released the letter on Monday, addressed to national security adviser Meir Ben Shabbat.
Netanyahu’s announcement last week of his decision to share some of Israel’s vaccine reserves had caused a stir and subsequently froze due to legal issues in Israel, but not before thousands of doses of vaccine were sent to Honduras and, apparently, also to the Czech Republic.
Netanyahu has not identified the countries he planned to receive Israeli vaccines from, but an Israeli television network said they included a number of nations that supported Israeli claims to the disputed city of Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel has immunized more than half of its population against coronavirus in one of the world’s most successful vaccination initiatives since late December. Netanyahu is considering the country’s vaccination success as a personal success as part of his campaign ahead of the upcoming March 23 elections.
The prime minister reached agreements with drug makers Pfizer and Moderna to ensure sufficient supply for Israel’s 9.3 million people.
But his controversial plan has raised questions at home about Netanyahu’s decision-making, as well as his choice to help the nations of Africa and Latin America in a time of global scarcity and when neighboring Palestinian territories struggle to achieve its own supply of vaccines.
Critics say Netanyahu’s plan illustrates how the prime minister treats 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 its West Bank settlements. Israel had previously shared 2,000 vaccines with the Palestinian Authority to protect front-line medical workers in the West Bank.
In his letter, Mandelblit recommends that for an “appropriate and comprehensive government procedure” any decision on the transfer of vaccines from Israel to foreign countries should be taken by the competent authorities.
In light of the importance and diplomatic implications of this decision, Mandelblit said it was “appropriate for the issue to be brought up for discussion in government, the cabinet or another forum that includes all relevant ministers on the matter.”