An initial decision, opposed by Blue and White, was ruled invalid by AG Mandelblit, leading Netanyahu to accuse Gantz of ‘condemning many to terrible death’; a compromise followed
According to the compromise deal hashed out and unanimously agreed in the early hours of Friday, the lockdown will be extended until Sunday morning, at which time individual travel limits will be lifted. People have been largely restricted to within 1,000 meters of their homes under the lockdown.
Businesses that do not cater to the public will be able to reopen Sunday. Also allowed to reopen will be restaurant takeaway services and individual business interactions, like hairdressers, cosmeticians and barbers.
National parks will also reopen and holiday rentals will be allowed to cater to single families.
No agreement was reached regarding reopening kindergartens. A government statement said a decision on this would be made following separate discussions between the Health and Education Ministries.
“As more people get vaccinated, with an emphasis on the over 50s, we will be able to gradually, carefully, and responsibly open up the economy,” he said.
His abrupt ruling after midnight Thursday followed an angry government meeting where Gantz and his fellow Blue and White Ministers refused to endorse the extension.
Netanyahu and Gantz accused each other of playing with the lives of Israelis in a bid to gain political momentum ahead of the upcoming March elections. The turmoil came minutes after the Health Ministry released figures showing that Israel’s death toll from the pandemic had passed 5,000.
Mandelblit explained that he was not blocking the lockdown extension but, rather, enforcing Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Law: The Government, as amended by Netanyahu and Gantz in their coalition agreement last year.
Gantz and fellow ministers from the Blue and White party opposed the decision to extend the lockdown, which was due to expire at 7 a.m. on Friday, unless or until there was a clear exit plan outline to present to the public. But Netanyahu and the Health Ministry had been much more reluctant to set anything in stone.
But Blue and White voted against and then appealed to Mandelblit, who canceled the vote. A furious Netanyahu accused Gantz and Madelblit of colluding.
Gantz “wants as much serious morbidity as possible for the elections,” Netanyahu charged, “You are condemning many Israelis to a terrible death.”
Gantz shot back: “Don’t come with your stories and don’t try and teach me about the value of life.”
Minutes before the vote, the Health Ministry announced that Israel had passed the grim milestone of 5,000 dead.
Ministry figures showed that there were 1,040 people in serious condition and 7,439 new cases reported Wednesday. Israel has struggled to bring its cases down despite its advanced vaccination drive.
