Lapid slams Netanyahu over handling of pandemic: The world’s not impressed

Opposition leader Yair Lapid assails Prime Minister Netanyahu over his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, after a poll showed slipping support for the premier’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

“A few weeks ago the prime minister said ‘the whole world is learning from us how to manage the corona[virus] crisis.’ Everyone was very impressed, except the world. Because the rest of the world understands that there is a difference between talking and managing a crisis,” Lapid says at the start of a Knesset faction meeting, according to a statement from his Yesh Atid party.

Lapid notes the European Union’s plans to partially reopen its borders, with Israel expected to be left off the list due to the rising number of infections in the country.

“The European Union is opening its borders but Israel is marked as a red country. A red country is one that isn’t effectively managing the coronavirus crisis. Instead of managing the crisis they created the largest, most bloated government in the history of Israel,” he says.

The Yesh Atid chief also says: “Yesterday a poll showed that 85% of the public are worried about their economic future, the rest are all members of the government… This government has no right to exist. They threw all their promises into the garbage, cheated the voters just because they said ‘coronavirus, coronavirus.'”