Ya’alon: Netanyahu exploiting virus crisis for ‘personal political needs’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced pushback Saturday night against a series of emergency measures he announced to tackle the burgeoning coronavirus crisis in Israel, with several opposition MKs questioning plans to begin using invasive monitoring technology to help track potential infection paths of sick individuals.

Offering the fiercest criticism, Blue and White No. 3 Moshe Ya’alon accused the prime minister of exploiting the outbreak for “personal political needs,” suggesting that the measures were being introduced in order to push off Netanyahu’s corruption trial, which is set to begin on Tuesday.

“Whoever criticized us for warning we would turn into Erdogan’s Turkey should digest and internalize the cynical exploitation of the coronavirus, for personal political needs, by a defendant before his trial,” Ya’alon tweeted.

Shortly afterward, Justice Minister Amir Ohana, in a move likely to push off Netanyahu’s trial, declared a 24-hour “state of emergency” in Israel’s court system, “as part of the national effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.”

If the measures are extended, as expected, Netanyahu’s trial, in which he faces one count of bribery and three counts of fraud and breach of trust, will not be able to begin on Tuesday and could potentially be delayed for months.

Ya’alon’s criticism came amid reports that Blue and White leader Benny Gantz was considering Netanyahu’s call to form an emergency unity government to deal with the virus.

Earlier Saturday night, Netanyahu and government officials announced a shutdown of all leisure businesses and activities throughout the country, and new restrictions on gatherings of more than 10 people in the same place.

Furthermore, Netanyahu announced that Israel would begin using advanced digital monitoring tools to track carriers of the coronavirus, raising major privacy concerns and prompting accusations of mass surveillance.

Such tracking technologies, which in large part rely on data from cellphones, have principally been used by the Shin Bet security service in counterterrorism operations, not against Israeli citizens who have not been accused of a crime.

“Up until today I avoided using these measures in the civilian population but there is no choice,” Netanyahu said in a prime-time TV news conference.

The head of the left-wing Meretz party, Nitzan Horowitz, denounced the proposal, saying that such surveillance shouldn’t take place without parliamentary and judicial oversight.

“Monitoring citizens with the help of information databases and advanced technology is a harsh blow to privacy and basic liberty. Therefore, this is forbidden in democratic countries,” he said.

Horowitz added that even in an emergency, such “intrusive measures” should not be used in a sweeping manner and required clear rules regarding how information is used.

“These measures are prohibited from being used before they’re approved and overseen by a Knesset committee,” he said.

Joint List head Ayman Odeh said that the surveillance measures were a step too far.

“The Joint List will support every justified step that will protect public health and the stability of the economy. Unsupervised surveillance of civilians is not one of them,” he wrote on Twitter.

Comparing the situation several times to a state of war, Netanyahu in his address said it was imperative for Israelis to shift gears and “adopt a new way of life” for the near future, noting that many Israelis appeared to not be heeding officials’ calls to avoid physical contact and displays of affection, but stressing that this was crucial for the nation to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The number of Israelis diagnosed with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, rose to 195 Saturday night. The Health Ministry said two of the sick remained in serious condition, with 11 in moderate condition and the rest suffering light symptoms only.

Meanwhile, nearly 40,000 Israelis were in home quarantines for fear of exposure to the virus, including nearly 1,000 doctors, more than 600 nurses, 170 paramedics, and 80 pharmacists, according to Health Ministry figures. Health officials have conducted over 6,800 coronavirus tests nationwide so far, according to the ministry.

To curb the spread of the virus in the country, all Israelis returning from overseas are required to quarantine at home for 14 days. Non-Israeli nationals were barred from entering the country as of March 12, unless they can demonstrate an ability to self-quarantine for two weeks.

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide passed 150,000 on Saturday, with 5,764 deaths across 137 countries and territories, driven by a spike in infections in Italy, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.