Minister slams Shin Bet tracking as ‘extreme,’ betrayal of voters

28 November 2021, 4:28 pm

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Minister Eli Avidar, one of four ministers to vote against a Shin Bet tracking program to be used on carriers of the Omicron coronavirus variant, is speaking out publicly against the surveillance plan.

“There’s no justification for this extreme step, which is unsustainable and disproportionate. We promised change, but how can we look our voters in the eyes when we blatantly break promise after promise to safeguard democracy,” he says.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (R) and Yisrael Beytenu MK Eli Avidar attend a plenum session in the Knesset, on July 12, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton and Economy Minister Orna Barbivai also voted against giving Shin Bet permission to use the tool, along with Avidar, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.