Netanyahu Rewards Friendly Nations With Precious Shots

Israel will provide thousands of valuable coronavirus vaccine doses to allies that have supported it on the international stage, Israeli outlets reported Tuesday. The government will ship 5,000 shots to each of the countries that have in recent years promised to transfer their embassies to Jerusalem or have already done so, thereby recognizing the city as the Jewish state’s official capital. The first delivery, to Honduras, has already left Israel, and similar shipments to Guatemala and the Czech Republic will soon follow. “Our stock is above and beyond what Israeli citizens need; we have more than enough to help out,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, rejecting criticism that doling out vaccines as a reward for diplomatic support would cause international outrage. Netanyahu’s rival, Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, fumed at the prime minister’s decision and promised to oppose it. “The fact that he trades in vaccines that the Israeli taxpayers paid dearly for, without any consultation, just shows that he thinks he’s running a monarchy, not a democracy,” Gantz said. “Only an urgent security, diplomatic or medical need can justify this course of action, and Netanyahu must present it to the public or at least pass it through the required government channels.”