JERUSALEM — Israel says it has vaccinated 1 million people against COVID-19, more than a tenth of its population, as it rolls out one of the world’s earliest and most rapid inoculation campaigns.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on hand when the millionth Israeli received a vaccination in the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. Netanyahu called it a moment of “great excitement.”
Arabs make up around 20% of Israel’s population and have been slow to embrace the vaccination campaign. They have Israeli citizenship and the right to vote but face discrimination in housing and other areas, contributing to widespread mistrust of authorities.
Netanyahu said “it’s important for me that the Arab public in Israel will get vaccinated quickly,” because “it’s saving lives.” He delivered the same message at a vaccination center in Tira, another Arab town, on New Year’s Eve.
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