‘ We’re at the height of war – the corona war’

Nearly 60 die in 24 hours as second lockdown begins this afternoon

Israel enters its second national lockdown on Friday afternoon, after the number of infection cases surged and by Thursday evening, nearly 60 people had died of coronavirus in a 24- hour period.

“Due to the sharp rise in morbidity, we have decided today on necessary measures,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday evening during a briefing. “These closure measures are not easy, but saving lives comes first.”

He said that the country was “at the height of an ongoing war – the coronavirus war” and that the virus is “expected to take a heavy toll on us, in addition to human life. I am sorry to say that, but it is the truth.”

Israel recorded 6,883 new cases in Israel on Wednesday, the Health Ministry reported Thursday – the second day in a row to reach such a high figure. There were an additional 3,586 between midnight and press time. Of those screened, some 12.2% tested positive.

The death toll stands at 1,376, which includes an increase of 59 patients between Wednesday and Thursday evening.

Some 685 people are in serious condition, including 175 on ventilators.

Netanyahu said that “there is a simple rule: When you

open the economy, the infection rate goes up. Unfortunately, with the removal of the restrictions, there has been a gradual loosening of adherence to health regulations, which includes not wearing masks, not keeping distance and many dangerous gatherings.”

Referencing comments made earlier by opposition leader Yair Lapid, he claimed that “populist politicians said that the guidelines should be obeyed because they are the whim of one person,” but he stressed that they would be life- saving.

“An entire generation, hundreds of thousands who have been infected, will carry scars for life,” he bemoaned. “And I see people dancing and having a meal at a long table without masks. Wake up – we are in a different reality. Action must be taken now.”

And there is no stopping the closure now, after the government voted in favor of it on Thursday morning.

Later, in a stormy session of the Knesset plenum, Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch said the lockdown was needed “to prevent every Israeli from demonstrating in the Sea of Galilee.” Yisrael Beytenu MK Eli Avidar ripped up the lockdown proposal, which ended up passing its first reading in the plenum by a 36 to 32 vote.

The Knesset was expected to pass the proposal in its second and third readings by morning.

The cost of the lockdown is expected to be around NIS 35 billion, according to the Finance Ministry, at a time when some 850,000 Israelis are already out of work – 120,000 filed for unemployment in just the last week.

In terms of the impact on the private sector, this lockdown was expected to be more severe than the one in the spring, because then the private sector could operate at 30% capacity while now, the government is closing the private sector down

completely – except for essential workers.

However, later on Thursday, the outline was changed to allow more people to go to work.

“I am proud that after a hard struggle, I managed today to change the outline for closing the private sector. And contrary to the intention that emerged yesterday, to allow many factories that were about to close – in the high- tech, defense industries, construction, finance and services – to continue operating during the closure,” Finance Minister Israel Katz said. “The private sector employs millions of people and is the beating heart of the Israeli economy. I will do everything to continue to strengthen it in these difficult days of test.”

At the cabinet meeting on Wednesday night, Netanyahu spoke to the public. He said, “We are at the moment of truth. This cabinet meeting is reminiscent of those that were held during the time of the transition government,” when emergency decisions were made.

But the decisions at this meeting went contrary to the professional recommendation of coronavirus commissioner Prof. Ronni Gamzu.

Gamzu had wanted to keep businesses operating at 50% and there were many ministers who supported him, including Katz and Economy Minister Amir Peretz. But Netanyahu felt otherwise. He told Gamzu that “We make decisions based on the weight of our responsibility and not only on your recommendations.

During my entire career, there have been many times that I did not listen to the professionals and each time I was 100% correct. The recommendations we have taken from you until now caused a rise in infection from 2,000 cases to 7,000.”

Gamzu said, “I will not say the infection rate is not worrying. It is very worrying. Maybe we could have closed less, but it is OK that the government made this decision.”

As such, starting at 2 p. m. on

Friday, all workplaces except essential ones will operate in accordance with approved regulations. Marketplaces will be closed and people will only be allowed to travel one kilometer from home, unless for an approved reason.

Prayer and demonstrations must take place in open spaces, can have no more than 20 people and must also take place within a kilometer of home. Synagogues will be closed, except for prayers on Yom Kippur in accordance with the pre- approved outline that was followed on Rosh Hashanah.

In some ways, this closure is more flexible than the one in March.

During the first lockdown, the public could only venture between 100 and 500 meters from their homes. Now, there is no limit on travel for food, exercise or other essential needs – so long as it is being performed alone or with one’s family.

Regarding the airport, details of the plan have still not been finalized and are only expected to be decided next week.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev reportedly proposed an outline that would keep Ben- Gurion Airport open for the coming week to allow those who have already booked flights to travel. Then, the next week, flights would be limited to cargo and inbound flights.

Science and Technology Minister Izhar Shay walked out of the cabinet meeting in anger, saying that Netanyahu was guilty of making decisions based on “foreign considerations” that did not reflect the recommendations of the professionals.

He also told Blue and White leader and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz that he would resign to protest his party’s support for a lockdown that includes limiting political demonstrations.

Shay, who is a successful hi- tech entrepreneur, expressed his opposition in a meeting of Blue and White ministers. He left in anger when his view was not accepted.

Gantz asked to meet him before he submitted his resignation letter.

Shay’s spokesman said the resignation was not final.

“He’s a man of his word and principles,” a source close to Shay said. “He has always said that as long as he feels he can contribute, he will continue. I trust he must have seen decisions made that are political and make no sense to the welfare of the people, or that politicians are making decisions and not listening to the advice of the professionals.”

Earlier Thursday, Gantz explained his support for the lockdown that is set to begin on Friday.

“We are in a time of national emergency,” he said. “This is a

war for our lives. We cannot lose this war due to rifts.”

Gantz apologized to both protesters and synagogue goers, saying they will both return soon. He said he believed in the right to protest and pray in large groups, but this was not the time.

But Lapid lashed out strongly at the decision and called on Gamzu to resign to protest Netanyahu silencing him and other professionals.

“They shut the mouths of the pros, especially Gamzu,” Lapid said Thursday evening. “All the experts were against a complete lockdown. They were shut down. We’re going into this lockdown without any sort of plan, without defining clear goals.”

The opposition leader said the lockdown was avoidable and it is not true that the second wave has hit the whole world. He said the second wave is hitting those who didn’t prepare for it, in countries where the government didn’t prepare.

“The reason for this lockdown isn’t Covid- 19,” he said. “The reason is the failed, political, negligent and hysterical management of the crisis by this government and by the prime minister. This is a failure and one person is responsible for it; this is a failure and it is Netanyahu’s failure.”

Gamzu said that he would not resign.

“I will move forward and prepare for the day after the closure,” he stressed. “We will leave this closure different than after the first wave.”

He said that he took his role to stop the virus and “I want to provide a plan for how to live alongside coronavirus until April or May at least… I will not break down; I will stay until the final day.”

The prime minister spoke about medical developments he expects to occur soon.

“I am working toward implementing a rapid coronavirus test that can give results in minutes,” Netanyahu said. “Above all, we are working on obtaining a vaccine to Israel. I could not say that [ before] and I was careful, but today I say there is light at the end of the tunnel. There will be a vaccine and I am working to have one in Israel as soon as possible.” • of

daily COVID- 19 infections, the increase in hospitalizations and serious cases and the rise in deaths from the disease have – after repeated dithering, untold vacillations and policy reversals and innumerable internal government disputes – scuppered the most festive season of the Jewish calendar.

Rosh Hashanah was a pale imitation of itself with curtailed prayer services devoid of many of the beloved holiday melodies, mostly held outside of synagogues in small numbers and with the congregation muffled by face masks.

Many families could not meet due to being in quarantine, or with family members living in different cities or countries and being unable to meet due to the lockdown and restrictions on international travel.

The grandeur of Yom Kippur, and the unique melodies in the prayer services, will sound very different in groups of 20 performed outdoors. The large numbers of less- observant Jews who attend synagogue will not materialize, with 61% of Jews saying they will stay away from synagogue this year, compared with last year’s 39%.

And all the festivities of Sukkot are now off the table. The affable holiday atmosphere among friends and family under the Sukkah is now a chimera of the past.

In the Jewish state, Jews from across the religious spectrum are feeling an aching loss for the spiritual highlights of the year.

Much maligned and criticized as he often is, United Torah Judaism chairman Ya’acov Litzman, in his letter of resignation from the government last week, struck a chord when he decried the government’s failure to have its house in order so the holidays could be celebrated in a more normal fashion.

“My heart is with the thousands of Jews who come to synagogue once a year and this year won’t come at all due to the lockdown,” Litzman wrote in protest at the timing of the coronavirus restrictions ahead of Rosh Hashanah instead of earlier in the summer.

But in one respect, Israel’s second total coronavirus lockdown has come at an opportune time. It is perhaps fitting that having visited new privations on the country, the country’s leaders are now immediately able to engage in the soul- searching that the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur demand.

As for the rest of us, the prayer “Our Father, our King, withhold the plague from your heritage” will surely be said this Yom Kippur with the keenest intensity for many a year. •

PEACE

Continued from Page 1 forward a generation of Palestinian

politicians that understand that the only way they’ll get a Palestinian state is through a genuine and deep understanding between people, between cultures, and not just a negotiation about territory,” he said.

In the meantime, the most important thing for Israel to do is try to alleviate the Palestinians’ economic situation, he added.

Blair, who is the chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, was a guest at the White House for last week’s Abraham Accords signing. He enthusiastically touted the agreements, saying they are a goal he has worked toward for many years.

The Arab world still supports the Palestinian cause, but much of it has “come to the conclusion it’s unreasonable to expect them constantly to sacrifice their own interests to it,” Blair said.

In the 12 years since Blair left office and focused on Middle East matters, he visited Israel, the UAE and other Arab states an estimated 250 times.

Blair said he noticed a major shift in the Middle East, where leaders are trying to modernize.

“All over the Arab world there is a struggle around two basic ideas,” he said. “First, there is a group of leaders who want to modernize their societies and their economies, and they want to distinguish between Islam and Islamism. Second, they want… economies that are open… so if their people work hard, they can do well and raise their families in security and prosperity.”

The threats to this vision are the Islamic Republic of Iran and its Shia extremist proxies, as well as other jihadist and extremist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Blair said.

“This is a shared interest between Israel and the predominately Muslim Arab nations around how the Middle East will develop… That’s the thing that’s mostly exciting and why there’s peace between the UAE and Israel,” he said.

As for Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel, “it’s a much tougher thing,” Blair said.

Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia is modernizing in regard to the place of women and religion in society and the need to diversify its economy away from a reliance on oil, he said.

The Tony Blair Institute, which tracks how Saudi newspapers report on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, has found a turn to more positive coverage of Israel and a more critical view of the Palestinians, he added.

Blair also addressed antisemitism in the Labour Party, which he led for 13 years. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was repeatedly accused of tolerating antisemitism in the party and being antisemitic in words

and deeds.

“Antisemitism in the Labour Party is a terrible, terrible thing and a shameful thing,” Blair said. New Labour leader Keir Starmer definitely is taking action against hate, he said.

Blair expressed concern about antisemitism among progressives in politics worldwide.

“One of the things I try to do in my institute and want to do more of is to confront this new entry point – it happens as much on the Left as on the Right and always ends up at the same place – a demonization of the State of Israel,” he said.

Blair called for the Left to denounce antisemitism and explain “why you can have a reasonable position that is critical of Israel without criticizing the existence of Israel.” •

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