Electronic bracelet for returning Israelis okayed
Number of patients in serious condition drops to 574, lowest since December
All Israelis returning from abroad can be required to wear an electronic bracelet to ensure that they isolate at home, or be quarantined in a hotel, according to a bill approved by the Knesset on Wednesday.
The legislation gave the government authorization to force those who enter the country from specific countries to choose between the two options, except for children under 14 and other special humanitarian cases.
All those currently entering the country are required to isolate, unless they present a vaccination or recovery certificate issued by the Health Ministry. Those who were inoculated or who recovered abroad can be released from the quarantine if they undergo a serological test to prove their level of antibodies.
Electronic devices have already been in use for several weeks on a voluntary basis to ensure that people do not
break the quarantine.
According to the bill, the operation is carried out by private companies on behalf of the ministry. The information collected is stored in servers owned by the government but maintained by the companies, and will be deleted at the end of the period if there is no report of infraction, or no longer than 30 days.
The company will inform the authorities if the person appears to leave their house.
The bracelet cannot monitor any details about the person wearing it, except whether they are complying with their quarantine, according to SuperCom president and CEO Ordan Trabelsi.
Should the quarantine be violated, the devices won’t track the person’s location but will alert authorities that the person has left the confined area where they were supposed to remain throughout the duration of the quarantine.
The bill has been considered an essential tool to step up quarantine enforcement, which the authorities have described as essential to reopening Israeli borders, at least to its citizens.
While the Knesset was passing the new law, the Supreme Court ruled that the current regulations limiting the number of Israelis who can enter the country every day be canceled. The court also canceled the requirement that those who are not vaccinated and wish to leave, including children, seek permission from a special governmental committee. According to the ruling, the regulations will be canceled beginning on Sunday.
According to reports in Israeli media, government officials met on Wednesday afternoon and evening to try to find a solution to maintain some limit on the ability of people to travel, to prevent new virus variants from entering the country.
Meanwhile, the number of serious patients and the COVID-19 reproduction rate dropped to their lowest level in months. Serious cases in Israel dropped below 600 for the first time since December, according to the ministry’s report.
Some 578 active patients
were in severe condition, of whom 263 were in critical condition and 214 were intubated. These last two figures were in line with the previous days. The death toll was 6,053, with 13 people succumbing to COVID-19 in 24 hours, also similar to previous days.
Meanwhile, some 1,538 people were diagnosed with coronavirus on Tuesday, marking another significant decrease from the 2,108 cases identified on Monday and the 2,416 last Thursday, with a similar number of tests administered.
A total of 72,600 tests were taken on Tuesday with 2.1% positive, the lowest rate since December. In addition, the reproduction rate – which measures how many people each virus carrier infects on average – stood at 0.7, also the lowest in months.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein announced in the morning that over four million Israeli citizens are eligible to receive the coronavirus green passport which grants entry to restaurants, gyms and theaters, and exempts holders from quarantine.
More than 5.1 million Israelis have received at least their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, 4.3 million have received two shots, and another million are eligible to be vaccinated.
“We see how effective the vaccine is, and how dangerous coronavirus can be,” he tweeted. “We see already some places open only to green passport holders – isn’t it a shame that you are left behind?”
While the numbers have been dropping, Israel’s Military Intelligence warned the public against losing vigilance, and urged people to continue abiding by restrictions of social distancing and wearing masks.
More than half of the people reported to be infected on Tuesday were reportedly under the age of 19, with many of them under the age of 16, a demographic that is not yet eligible to receive the vaccine.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ahead of yet another election, seems to be pulling every trick in the book. The latest this week was reportedly that he would like to have Mossad director Yossi Cohen continue in some governmental capacity when his term ends this summer. Rumors persist that Netanyahu would like to see the spy chief join his political party.
This would be highly unusual, even though there is a history of former generals and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chiefs entering politics, since Mossad chiefs are supposed to have a cooling-off period.
In response to the reported announcement by Netanyahu, Cohen released an even stranger statement, denying any political affiliation with the prime minister or his Likud Party.
Democracy functions best when civilians are in charge and when there are checks and balances on the power of individuals.
Netanyahu has worked to erode many aspects of Israeli democracy over his nearly 12 consecutive years in power, centralizing power at the Prime Minister’s Office and taking away key decisions from the Foreign and Defense ministries. He conducts many policies himself, seemingly without even consulting others in his coalition.
Cohen has been a phenomenal head of Mossad. He has been praised by those who know him and the organization he is currently leading. He is said to have a good relationship with the prime minister, unlike some former intelligence heads such as Meir Dagan, who slammed Netanyahu repeatedly in 2016.
On the one hand, the Netanyahu-Cohen relationship running smoothly is good and is good for Israel’s security. On the other hand, turning the Mossad chief into a political tool does no favors for Cohen personally or for the agency he directs.
In August 2019, reports emerged that Netanyahu viewed Cohen or former ambassador to the US Ron Dermer as “fit to lead Israel” after he leaves office. Netanyahu has often heralded the credentials of the Mossad over the last years, lauding it for bringing out the secret nuclear archive from Iran and helping in the nation’s battle against the novel coronavirus.
However, it is not clear whether releasing this information has helped Israel or the Mossad, or helped Netanyahu’s political fortunes. Politicizing the organization or even releasing information that may improve Netanyahu’s political standing is a dangerous and toxic mix of national security and politics.
The ridiculous attempt to use the new relations with the United Arab Emirates for a photo-op prior to Tuesday’s election has continued unabated, to the point of harming relations with Jordan and embarrassing Israel. In normal countries, state visits are planned well in advance and have a large entourage. In Israel, Netanyahu does things without even consulting his foreign and defense ministers, as though it were a one-man, not even one-party, state.
Cohen is a valuable asset and national leader. After he leaves the Mossad, he can play an important role in helping Israel steer through the dangers that loom on the horizon. The question is whether that role will be tarnished by politics.
This is always the question mark when it comes to Netanyahu: Is he harming institutions by politicizing them? Was Danny Danon sent to the US because his popularity was growing? Was Gilad Erdan also packed off to the US for the same reason? No Israeli minister, for example, has visited the UAE since the peace deal was announced in August. The reason? Netanyahu won’t let any ministers visit there before him.
Why can’t Netanyahu share the limelight? Given his propensity for not wanting to build up others underneath him, it may be only a matter of time before Cohen’s rising star is stunted. Netanyahu should be careful not to politicize Cohen or the Mossad. It is essential for Israel’s security that its national security apparatus remain outside the political realm, despite the temptations to keep tarnishing it.