Professor Gabi Barabash being put in charge of Israel's war on coronavirus is welcome news, but we mustn't get confused: as worthy and talented as he is, he will not save us. Tuesday's closure, then reopening, of restaurants made it clear that the current government, which was supposed to handle the serious crisis, is mostly a government of chaos. The prime minister, who until the panic coalition was established was the one in charge, discovered that others have shown up and are grabbing at the steering wheel.
The coronavirus crisis, which should have been handled like a war situation, is being directed by the cabinet, the Knesset, and government functionaries like some third-world village. Prime Minister Netanyahu has never encountered limits to his power like the ones he is running into now. At every turn, politicians from the hostile coalition, the fighting opposition, and stubborn public officials await him and throw wrenches in the works wherever possible. And Netanyahu, who is long past the stage of pounding on the table and who should be kicking it over, continues to behave with caution, twisting and turning, in an attempt to avoid obstacles rather than meet them head-on. We can all see the results.
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It's not only the results that are problematic – it's the tactics. Despite declarations to the media and the prime minister, health minister, and others appearing on camera to explain the steps they are taking, the government's decisions remain inexplicable, sometimes illogical, and encourage civil chaos expressed in disobedience and lack of the public discipline that is so badly needed to cut off outbreaks and reopen the economy.
Chairwoman of the Knesset Corona committee MK Yifat Shasha-Biton might have gone overboard in taking a stand against the government's proposed regulations, but even the cabinet should have acknowledged the new rules, stopped making threats, and showed up for meetings of the committee armed with convincing explanations and the clear data that backed them up.
Blue and White should also realize that this is not a time for petty politics and that automatically siding with anyone who tweets against Netanyahu, the Knesset, or cabinet officials is absurd and even worse – dangerous.
This might not be a popular thing to say, especially in Tel Aviv and the surrounding area, but the bizarre protests that have become weekly events have long since turned into an environmental nuisance and a festival of virus spread. Only because the government is so weak do they continue and expand. The protesters, who are claiming that the prime minister is working anti-democratically, are exploiting the government's hesitation to justify their made-up campaign. They take to the streets, screaming about dictatorship, protected by the excess of democracy that the government provides them without any justification.
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