Israel halts vaccine transfers to friendly nations after political outcry

PM Binyamin Netanyahu paused his transfers of some 45,000 covid vaccines to a score of friendly countries and agreed to consult the attorney general on the question. His coalition partner, defense minister Benny Gantz, accused the PM of giving away precious vaccines belonging to the Israeli people for the sake of personal “vaccine diplomacy.” In the prime minister’s defense, officials said that the transfers were of “token” amounts and covered vaccines that were near their expiry dates.