Netanyahu prepares for the next lockdown
Guest: David Rubin via Phone, Skype, or Zoom
Intro: Israel is seeing a sharp increase of serious Covid cases and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to close down the economy again, but is that the best plan of action? Here to discuss this with us today is David Rubin, former mayor of Shiloh, Israel and author of “Trump and the Jews.”
Question: As with many countries, Israel opened up its economy and is now experiencing a rise in virus cases. What is the problem with shutting down again to stop the spread?
Answer: The previous lockdown did manage to flatten the curve and get the numbers down, at the cost of millions of shekels in damage to the economy, serious mental health traumas and crises, and potential threats to our national security.
He then quickly – too quickly, it seems, although many of the people saying that now were the ones who castigated him for not ending the lockdown fast enough – opened the economy and the country came back to life, but we soon saw a steep increase in cases. Now it all seems so obvious to the prime minister. Just close down the restaurants, close down the schools, the gyms, the pools and the shuls and the rates will go down.
However, the statistics disagree. According to a recent study reported by the Knesset Research and Information Center, by far the most common location of infection, 65%, has been the home, while only single digits have been infected in restaurants, in pools, in gyms, or in synagogues. When there is a lockdown, families are forced into their homes where they infect others.
A prime example of this has been the ultra-Orthodox community, which has been especially hard-hit by the pandemic, and is known for its large families, often living in dense housing blocks. Is it any wonder that closing down neighborhoods, thereby forcing people to stay near home and at home is just making the problem worse?
Quarantines at home are clearly not the solution.
Question: Although it met with some initial opposition from Netanyahu, there was an effective strategy that was put in place that seemed to work. Can you tell us about what that was?
Answer: While serving as defense minister in the previous government, MK Naftali Bennett of the right-wing Yamina party despite initial resistance from Netanyahu, established the network of some thirty “corona hotels”, removing lightly and moderately infected individuals from their homes and treating them in the hotels, and not releasing them until they were virus-free. The IDF was activated in a major operation of peace and healing in the city of B’nei Brak to help the afflicted residents and to get them into the hotels. This effective strategy at preventing further infection was ended with the subsequent flattening of the coronavirus curve, and now there are only a handful of these hotels, but more are planned.
Question: What other plans have been proposed?
Answer: Bennett has come out with an excellent fifteen-point plan to combat the current health crisis without shutting down the economy, which includes such aspects as expanded corona hotels, opening of airports with comprehensive testing before and after flights, and appointment of a Corona czar to oversee and implement the strategy.
Question: What should be done next?
Answer: Netanyahu should show true leadership and national unity by adopting the key elements of this plan and then putting either Bennett, who is now in the opposition, and/or current Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who is in the coalition, in charge of implementing it, but let’s put someone in charge and get moving. A true leader is not afraid of delegating responsibility, even if those two individuals do happen to be Netanyahu’s political rivals.
Shutting down completely again does not seem to be the answer, and no, it is not about right, left, or center, nor is it about party politics. It is about common-sense solutions that are vital, both for Israel’s economy and for saving lives.
Question: Tell us where our viewers/listeners can get a copy of your book, “Trump and the Jews?”
Answer: They can go to my website, www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or just go to Amazon and type in the words “Trump and the Jews”.
Rubin is the founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, established after he and his then three-year-old son were wounded in a terror attack. He can be found at www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or at http://www.ShilohIsraelChildren.org
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