Israel has seen a significant spike in infections with a jump of 859 new cases since Tuesday morning, the largest number since the start of the outbreak. Also, according to the ministry of health, the percentage of cases testing positive so far on Wednesday is over 5 percent. Israel today has 25, 547 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with the number of serious cases at 56, number of patients on ventilators at 24 and the number of deaths at 320.
Compared to other countries Israel is not doing so badly, coming in 50th on the list of countries infected. Belgium, with a similar population to Israel is 27th. Sweden, also similar population to Israel is 23rd. But Austria, again with similar population is 55th. So, while Israel isn't doing as bad as some countries, the situation is still not good. Nearly 1,000,000 Israelis are unemployed. Channel 11 Kan ran a report of a family being evicted. The father of two, an unemployed hi-tech guy in his 30's, cried on camera when he bemoaned the fact he couldn't pay the rent and had no income nor any family to turn to.
The economic situation is at odds with the health issue. A lock-down creates a meltdown of the economy. Allowing people to roam without restrictions threatens to spread the virus exponentially. So far Israel's solution is to consider a partial lock-down focusing on those areas that have become hotspots like Dimona, Kiryat Gat, Ashdod and Ramle.
According to Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, speaking to the Jerusalem Post, a closure in Israel like the one at
the end of March and in April is not on the table. However, to avoid a lock-down Israel would have to do a better job cutting the infection chain. To do that Israelis would need to follow regulation and the government would have to identify the red zones. Edelstein also said Israel needs to do more testing. Since he took over his job testing has increased from 10,000 a day to 17,000 by expanding the parameters who qualifies to be tested. TV reports say a turf battle is the cause, with the ministry of health fighting with the ministry of finance.
The Health Ministry issued new regulations, effective immediately: weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs (or similar
religious events) will be limited to 250 people. All other events,
including circumcision ceremonies and communal prayer, will be capped at
50 people.After July 10 and
until at least July 31, weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs that take place
indoors shall be limited to no more than 50% of the capacity of the
venue, with no more than 100 people in attendance. Events in open spaces
can continue to have 250 guests.
Israel has increased the fines for those caught not wearing masks, but a
casual stroll through any Israeli town, down any street, sees many more
adults without masks than with. The Health
Ministry's website reported that according to the data, 137 people were infected on buses in
the last week, 86 at supermarkets, 58 at restaurants, cafes and
bakeries, 39 at malls and 32 at other stores. Another 22 were infected
at pharmacies, 21 at event halls, 15 at workout centers and 11 at
hospitals, among other places.
Prime Minister Netanyahu had been pushing for some type of annexation of the west bank. He was to make an announcement on July 1st, but apparently postponed or dropped the idea. Reportedly, he believed that the window of opportunity for annexation was open as long as Trump was in power. However, the EU and other countries warned of consequences if the annexation took place. Even Britain's PM Boris Johnson, a friend of Israel, came out against the annexation.
Netanyahu's coalition partner Benny Gantz said that the population was more concerned with unemployment than annexation. Many military men, past and present, have also warned of dire consequences. Pundits believe Netanyahu won't give up, seeking to secure his legacy, but may wait for a more opportune time. Gantz has lost influence with Netanyahu and popularity with the public, who consider him a disappointment. Recent polls show his party would only garner 9 seats in the Knesset if new elections were held today. Netanyahu has been ignoring Gantz's comments and objections. Some analysts think that Netanyahu wouldn't mind new elections as they'd rid him of Gantz and divert the public's attention from his trial.
As it is, Netanyahu is still on trial for three felonies from corruption, and bribery, to breach of public trust. The latest setback for Netanyahu was when Attorney General Mandelblit recommended that Netanyahu not be allowed to accept a "gift" of $2.5 million dollars from American real estate magnate Spencer Patrich to pay for his legal fees. Mandelblit's reason was that Patrich was one of the witnesses in a case against Netanyahu and the "gift" would be a conflict of interests. The Permits Committee of the State's Comtroller's Office had already denied a similar request, according to the Times of Israel, when another Netanyahu backer offered $300,000 towards the legal defense. However, the make up of the committee has changed since Netanyahu took office recently following the coalition deal with Gantz's Blue and White party. A new comptroller was appointed by Netanyahu, and a new committee assembled Netanyahu resubmitted his request claiming "new evidence."
Netanyahu's response to Mandelblit's recommendation was to launch a vitriolic tirade on Twitter, backed by scores of Likud activits' tweets and posts, accusing Mandelblit of trying to oust him from his position as PM. Yesh Atid head Lapid called the accusations "incitement," and former Chief of Staff and Defense Minister Moshe 'Bougie' Yaalon said that Netanyahu's defamation of Mandelblit and the legal system, including the judges, would "end in blood." A clear reference to the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin.
And then there's Russia. Is Trump a traitor, a Manchurian Candidate, or worse, just a fool? Writing in the New York Times, Susan Rice, former US National Security Advisor and former US Ambassador to the UN, wondered why US President Trump was so accommodating to Russia. She wrote that Trump has dismissed charges of Russian influence in the 2016 election, even taking Putin's word over that of the US Intelligence community; that Trump "obstructed" the Mueller investigation and distorted the findings; "recklessly removed US troops from northern Syria and allowed Russian forces to take over American bases." And withdrew 1/3rd of the US troops from Germany "Harming NATO while benefiting Russia."
Rice concludes that Trump is either "derelict in his duties...putting our country and those who wear its uniform at risk" or is a "tyrannical president who is actively advancing our arch adversary's nefarious interests."
With the world facing over half-a-million dead from COVID-19, with the US the leader in infections and deaths, pundits wonder what steps should be taken to halt the spread of the virus. Who should be in control of the fight. In Israel and in the US politics, pandering to the 'base' for elections and corruption trials seem to be more important than restraining the virus. Perhaps, for Israel, said one analyst, Gantz may be the right man in the right place at the right time if he can keep Netanyahu's attention focused on fighting the pandemic and not on his personal aggrandizement and dangerous social media and legal maneuvers to keep himself out of jail.
Maybe his friend Vladimir can help him, as Rice claimed, he helped US President Trump.
