At heated cabinet meeting, ministers blame health officials for crisis

Ministers are blaming health officials for the spiraling coronavirus crisis as Israel appears poised to enter its second nationwide lockdown, according to leaks from a cabinet meeting.

“We are forced to make difficult decisions because the Health Ministry didn’t prepare appropriately,” says Finance Minister Israel Katz, according to Channel 12.

Likud’s Zeev Elkin and Yuval Steinitz also cast blame.

“You changed your mind all the time,” Elkin says to coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu, the network reports.

And Steinitz, who supports a lockdown, says mockingly to top medical officials at the meeting: “Good for you for raising a ‘red flag’ now, when the hospitals are starting to fill up. You should have raised this red flag a month or two ago.”

Steinitz, Shas leader Aryeh Deri, and Elkin support a full two-week closure, it reports, though Deri asks that it begin later on Friday afternoon rather than 6 a.m.

But the network reports that not all hospital directors believe a total lockdown is necessary, disputing claims that the healthcare system is on the brink of collapse.