![\\"logo\\"](\\"/img/logo-dpa-factchecking.svg\\"/) *About ![\\"IFCN](\\"/img/ifcn-certificate.png\\"/) ![\\"EFCSN](\\"/img/efcsn- certificate.png\\"/) # Israeli apples and Palestinian pears 20.8.2021, 10:59 (CEST) An Internet user publishes a table on Facebook comparing the number of cases confirmed Covid-19 cases recorded in Israel and the Territories Palestinians, between May 20 and August 10, 2021. It is much higher in Israel. The Internet user draws this conclusion: “We see the problem between a vaccinated country and one that is not! » (Saved version.) ## Assessment The message is misleading, with the Facebook user mixing apples and pears. Among other things, it ignores a fundamental fact: the Covid-19 screening tests are much more numerous in Israel than in the Palestinian Territories. ## Facts “The Palestinians must be Covid conspiracy theorists! You have to stop fuck us! This genetic experiment is a shame, a genocide! Graph of contamination, we see the problem between a vaccinated country and one that is not! (sic),” writes the Internet user. To support his statements, he published a table of “Our World in Data” indicating that the number of proven cases of Covid-19 was, as of August 10 2021, much higher in Israel – where almost 63% of the population have been fully vaccinated against the disease – only in the Territories Palestinians, where the complete vaccination rate of the population reaches barely 8.4%. The trend has not reversed since then. The World Health Organization (WHO) also provides details on the evolution of the situation, on the Israeli side and on the Palestinian side. This is not the only difference between Israel, whose population is around 8.7 million inhabitants, and the Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza Strip), where approximately 5.3 million people live. The comparison is therefore risky, even if it is true that Israel is faced with a new and significant wave of contaminations due to the “delta” variant of coronavirus. Above all, the author of the message neglects to refer to a warning, written in English, which appears at the top of the graphic that he himself shares: “ (…) The number of confirmed cases is lower than the number of actual cases; there main reason for this is the limited number of tests carried out on the population, particularly in the Palestinian Territories. The difference is obvious, in fact, as evidenced by a UN report dated August 12: in the Palestinian Territories, and in relation to the previous week, “the number of tests carried out increased by 12% during of the period considered (August 6 to 12), with 27,519 tests carried out. In the Gaza Strip, the number of Covid-19 tests is rather low, with a average of 598 tests per day over the past month (July 16 to July 12 august). However, the positivity rate remains quite high and continues to increase, reaching 27% on August 12 - the highest positivity rate since the end of May. The figures, since then, have taken the elevator, a fourth wave of contamination, also due to the “delta” variant of coronavirus, being suspected in the Palestinian Territories. In comparison, the number of tests carried out in Israel is much higher high, which therefore makes it possible to detect many more positive cases. A table from “Our World in Data”, the reference used by the author of the message, clearly indicates this. Reuters' fact-checking service also debunked a similar allegation, August 16. (Status as of 08/20/2021) ## Links Facebook post (archived) Our World in Data on number of cases (archived) Our World in Data on the number of vaccinated (archived) Israel WHO (archived) Palestine WHO (archived) UN report (archived) Comparison tests (archived) Reuters fact check (archived) Contact the dpa fact-checking team: factcheck- belgium@dpa.com powered by dpa-newslab | Imprint | Privacy | About:
A graph shows many more positive Covid19 cases in Israel than in the Palestinian Territories Conclusion We see the problem between a vaccinated country and one which is not