By: Eugene Kontorovich – Newsweek; newsweek.com
Earlier this month, several left-leaning senators and representatives signed various letters contending that “Israel has an obligation under international law” to provide free vaccines for all Palestinians in the Palestinian Authority (PA). The claims are baseless, and they call into question the credibility of the legal experts who have been peddling them.
The central source of international law is treaties—agreements between the parties. While treaties often do not address many specific questions, in this case, there is a clearly applicable international agreement that directly addresses the vaccine issue—the Oslo Accords. The 1990s-era deal created the current PA government, which governs Palestinians in the West Bank (and governed Palestinians in Gaza up until Hamas took over). It also established a highly detailed division of authority between Israel and the Palestinians for issues of mutual concern, such as archaeological and holy sites, customs, taxes—and public health. Oslo provides that “Powers and responsibilities in the sphere of Health in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will be transferred to the Palestinian sides.” It also makes clear that this includes vaccination.
https://www.newsweek.com/fake-international-law-newest-anti-israel-libel-opinion-1577969