Jack Cohen – Israel and Coronavirus
Israel is a small country and so it’s easier for it to take steps that are difficult for much larger countries like the US and China. Yet, Israel has succeeded to act more drastically much sooner that most countries. So far there have been no deaths in Israel, although 6 infected people are said to be in critical condition. The Government (a caretaker government, since technically Israel does not have a government) enacted legislation to ensure that no foreigners will be admitted. My grand-daughter returned from the US to Israel today. She said the plane was full of returning Israelis and it was rumored that this was the last plane that would bring returning Israelis. She is now in 2 weeks quarantine. All citizens are in self-imposed isolation, no groups of more than 10 are allowed and all non-essential businesses and stores are closed. If that does not work a full lock-down will be imposed by PM Netanyahu soon.
Another innovation that Israel is proposing is computer technology developed to track terrorists to track people with the infection in order to find everyone they were in contact with. This is considered a violation of privacy by some human rights activists and the order is being contested in the courts, but it is likely to fail, since in times of crisis all measures are needed. The Ministry of Homeland Security that is responsible for this measure will hand the information only to the Ministry of Health, which after using the information will destroy it.
A report put out by the BDS movement in the States said that Israel is not cooperating with the Palestine Authority in relation to the coronavirus spread. But this is a damned lie. Israel and the PA have set up a joint office to share information and cooperate in stemming the COVID-19 disease. This is certainly in Israel’s interest, since the disease, like the Palestinian people, can cross the borders when they enter Israel illegally even though the borders are closed. It is also in the PA’s interest because, although they criticize Israel at every turn, nevertheless they have come to recognize the reality that Israel is far ahead of them in the areas of science, technology and medicine and they certainly stand to gain by sharing in Israel’s information and methodology.
