From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Israel may place general closure on West Bank to keep virus at bay
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett says he is seriously considering completely shuttering crossing between Israel and all Palestinian Authority-governed portions of the West Bank as part of Israel’s ongoing effort to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Bennett’s office says he has requested a detailed assessment of the economic ramifications of such a closure, which will be presented to him tomorrow.
A general closure of the West Bank is currently in place — not because of the virus but due to this week’s Purim holiday — and will remain so until at least Wednesday, when it is due to expire.
So far, several Palestinians have tested positive for the virus, but only in Bethlehem, which Bennett placed under quarantine on Thursday.
The Palestinian Authority put its own emergency measures in place on Thursday, including restrictions on movement across the West Bank.
Bennett makes his announcement during a visit to an exercise by the military’s Home Front Command, which simulated the Israeli health care system’s response to a full outbreak of the virus.
“The exercise dealt with mapping the parameters of a scenario in which there is a maximum load in the health care system, with an emphasis on the involvement of the Israel Defense Forces and the Home Front Command in such a scenario,” Bennett’s office says.
The IDF does not immediately provide additional information about the exercise.
In the case of full-on pandemic causing a major national emergency, Israel’s security services — chiefly the IDF and its Home Front Command — would become responsible for managing the crisis, taking over for the Health Ministry, which is currently leading the effort.
“The coronavirus has spread throughout Israel in recent days, and this requires all of us to take responsibility, including for the possibility of a pandemic,” he says.
“It is important to say that we are not yet there, and we hope that that it doesn’t get there,” Bennett adds.
— Judah Ari Gross
