Opinion: Netanyahu moans that his government made Israel ‘virus-free’, but they were the ones who dismantled all infrastructure to combat any future surge; his replacement is not making excuses but taking action that will hopefully come to fruition in the coming months

With all the criticism leveled at Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his government’s handling of the recent surge in coronavirus cases, it must be said that in terms of success or failure, what we are witnessing is merely the first stages of the campaign against the highly infectious Delta variant.

The premier has decided to not take the easy option, and is using a strategy whose results will probably be visible in the next two months.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (Photo: Ohad Zwigneberg)
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (Photo: Ohad Zwigneberg)

When criticizing the government’s actions, one has to take into account the complexity of the situation and its possible solutions.

The truth is that Bennett choose what could possibly be the least popular approach possible – and bravely so.

Handling the pandemic is pure risk management, forcing one to choose from a long line of uncomfortable possibilities.

On one hand, a lockdown will devastate the economy, leading many to lose their livelihoods and cause a decline in tax revenue that will affect all facets of society be it security, health or education.

On the other hand, even the smallest loosening of restrictions can cause cases to rise – requiring the prime minister to undertake some extreme maneuvering.
Bennett’s actions so far have been a measured juggling between these two constraints.

Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting of his Likud party (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting of his Likud party (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

It is far easier to go the way Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu did, press the lockdown button and force the economy to absorb a NIS 200 million loss.
For now, Netanyahu and his associates keep moaning that they gave Bennett a “virus-clean” Israel and that it is his fault that the pathogen resurged, which is an outright lie.

Morbidity did miraculously began to come down last May, but in getting there the previous government acted with a complete lack of responsibility, shutting down nearly all the infrastructure put in place to deal with the virus.

It closed the special program to keep geriatric facilities and retirement homes safe, dismantled the IDF’s Alon Command Center, which oversaw the military’s track and trace apparatus, reversed the Green Pass and cheered as it also did away with masks in all public places.

It also should be noted that the first carriers of the Delta variant arrived in Israel during Netanyahu’s tenure.

A woman receiving the third shot of the third coronavirus vaccine in a Rishon Lezion clinic (Photo: Nadav Abas)
A woman receiving the third shot of the third coronavirus vaccine in a Rishon Lezion clinic (Photo: Nadav Abas)

But Bennett does not have the time to make excuses, choosing a brave strategy that is not risk-free.

His plan is threefold: expand the booster shot campaign, double hospitals’ capacity for coronavirus patients and spur those yet to get vaccinated to do so with the reintroduction of the Green Pass.

With all these taken into consideration, Bennett’s real test is still a month or two away – a massive trial that stands to be remembered for generations.

If the masses do take their third vaccine dose, the number of ill does not get out of control, the economy manages to keep going under the restrictions and most importantly a fourth lockdown is not needed – we can say that his strategy succeeded.

Let us all hope that it does.

As reported by Ynetnews