Israel in Talks With at Least Two Countries to Exchange Expiring COVID Jabs, Sources Say
After negotiations with the U.K. broke down over technicalities, Israel is looking for a new home for its expiring coronavirus vaccines, and they do not rule out sending them to the Palestinian Authority
Israel is negotiating with at least two countries to offload expiring COVID-19 vaccines, after their deal with Palestinian Authority collapsed.
A government source said on Friday that negotiations with the United Kingdom about a potential deal to exchange jabs broke down over technicalities, despite a desire from both sides to reach an agreement.
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However, the source maintained that it is possible to reach an agreement with another country.
Sources in Israel have not ruled out the possibility that the Palestinian Authority will return to their previous agreement in the end.
In June, Israel announced that it would provide an advance of 1 million vaccines to the Palestinian Authority, but the deal was nixed by Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh because many of the doses were set to expire.
The Palestinians said the doses, which Israel began shipping to the West Bank, are too close to expiring and do not meet their standards. In announcing the agreement, Israel had said the vaccines “will expire soon” without specifying the date.