Netanyahu holds second vaccine summit with leaders of Hungary, Czech Republic

Not everyone in Europe is happy about Netanyahu’s zeal for joint ventures against the virus. The European Union is struggling to distribute vaccines in an equitable fashion and the European Commission is working to coordinate contracts with different vaccine producers.

Shortly after the March 4 meeting, France criticized Austria and Denmark for coordinating with Israel outside the EU framework. France was especially irked by Kurz saying that the European Medicines Agency was “too slow in approving vaccines.” French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian defended the agency, saying, “The most effective solution for meeting our vaccination needs must remain within a European framework. This is what guarantees the solidarity among member states that is more essential than ever.”

Netanyahu couldn’t care less about ruffling French feathers. On the contrary, his new vaccine alliances send a clear message about Israel’s diplomatic independence from Brussels or Paris.

This message is nothing new. Netanyahu has demonstrated on numerous occasions his preference for alliances with smaller European countries, those with hard right-wing/nationalist leaders, in defiance of the European Union. Still, the current vaccine alliance offers a very concrete dimension to Netanyahu’s policy.

Netanyahu is also busy working on other levels. Today, for instance, he spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about cooperating on the pandemic, including “green” passports and the reopening of Jewish pilgrimages to the Ukrainian city of Uman.

In an even more significant vaccine-diplomacy development, according to the Times of Israel, Israel is moving forward on its plan to supply surplus Moderna vaccines to a group of 20 friendly countries. This plan first came to a halt shortly after it was publicized at the end of February, when Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit opined that the prime minister did not have the authority to approve such a move without consulting with the cabinet. Defense Minister Benny Gantz (who also holds the justice portfolio) warned against Netanyahu exploiting the vaccines for his personal agenda.

Now that Mandelbit has set the guidelines for such transfers of vaccines, Netanyahu has reportedly renewed efforts on his initiative. With these surplus doses expiring at the end of May, the donations must be made quickly. Gantz seems to have come around and won’t stand in the way.

The nearing expiration date could explain why Israel is acting on its own, outside the COVAX international initiative for vaccinating populations in developing countries. Israel is part of the Friends of the COVAX Facility group but has not offered to finance vaccine doses for needy countries nor to donate vaccines via that mechanism, as Netanyahu prefers to act on his own and is not hiding the political and diplomatic considerations behind his project.