Board of Deputies calls for the Observer newspaper to apologise for false Covid headline

Board of Deputies Senior Vice President Sheila Gewolb has raised concerns over a false headline in the Observer claiming that Israel has excluded Palestinians from Coronavirus vaccinations.

Sheila said: “We are extremely troubled by the Observer’s blatantly false headline claiming that Israel has ‘excluded’ Palestinians from its Covid-19 vaccination programme.

“The Palestinian Authority is responsible for vaccinations provided to Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza. As reported within the same article, the PA has not even asked Israel for help in this regard, looking to source the vaccines elsewhere. Israel is therefore vaccinating its own citizens, as every country in the world is trying to do. This includes millions of Arab citizens of Israel.

“The Observer’s headline – and the picture alongside it, of an Orthodox Jew being vaccinated in Israel – has provided grist to the mill of far-right and far-left antisemites alike, who seek to take anything positive Israel does and twist it beyond recognition. The paper should change this headline immediately and issue an apology.”