The US is ~50% vaccinated as well, but our economy is flagging. It has nothing to do with the vaccines and everything to do with the regime in power.
Israel also has 40% of the population of Florida --- .025 percent of the total US population.
When you look at Israel prioritized its vaccines toward the most vulnerable, their picture looks dramatically better than 50% might suggest.
Over 98% of Israelis over 50 years old, who are not members of the most vaccine hesitant groups the Ultra-Orthodox Haredi, or ethnically Arab Israelis) have already received at least a first shot (which confers significant immunity after two weeks). Those over 50 years old in those hesitant groups are over 80% with a first shot, and now going quickly.
Israeli new cases, hospitalizations and deaths have plummeted, as predicted based on the vaccination percentages.
The good news is that we have heavily prioritized our most vulnerable as well. Nursing home residents are basically fully vaccinated, and those 65 and older are nearing 70% with at least a first shot. American hospital COVID wards in the USA have been emptying out over the last two months, down to a quarter of what they were in January.
“The country continues to face criticism for its decision not to include Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza in its vaccination campaign.”
If they had, the media would have become big-time anti-vaccers overnight, claiming that Israel was trying to KILL the Palestinians by supplying them with tainted vaccines...particularly if the one or two Palestinians with serious side effects are brought forward.
Anyway, the real reason for not supplying them, which the author, I guess, doesn’t consider newsworthy is that Israel’s agreements with the Palestinians make it clear that Israel plays no part in their healthcare system.