Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of COVID-19 vaccines to people living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

We were pleased to note that the Palestinian National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign began on 21 March following the first shipment of over 60,000 doses from the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) on 17 March. The UK is committed to global equitable access to effective vaccines as demonstrated by our £548m contribution to the COVAX AMC. The second shipment of 72,000 doses also arrived on 19 April 2021.

We remain in close contact with the Palestinian Authority on their vaccination campaign and the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa most recently discussed this issue with the Palestinian Health Minister on 23 March 2021. We also continue to raise the importance of timely and appropriate access to COVID-19 vaccines with the Israeli Authorities, including through our Embassy In Tel Aviv.