Gantz said to demand ‘operative’ control of virus response transferred to Defense Ministry

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the new restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus were approved unanimously and promises that the government will compensate the sectors hurt by the new restrictions.

“The promised money will get to the people, and we will introduce innovative plans to keep our economy moving forward,” Netanyahu says at the opening of his Likud faction meeting, after a meeting of the so-called coronavirus cabinet meeting.

“All the while, we are balancing health and life with preserving the economy,” he says.

In his remarks, Netanyahu doesn’t refer to annexing parts of the West Bank, which he has repeatedly pledged to begin advancing on July 1.

According to Hebrew media reports, Defense Minister Benny Gantz demanded during the cabinet meeting that the “operative” response to the outbreak be transferred to his ministry.

“We must agree on a more efficient management of operations and decision-making,” he reportedly said. “The regulation from top to bottom should be at the Health Ministry, and the implementation at the Defense Ministry and the Home Front Command which has the best operative tools.”