JERUSALEM — Dog days of August? Or political morass, with no effective leadership? And wandering amidst a pandemic that can be ignored. By some.
Israel has recently been mired in a quarrel as to whether to budget for one year or two. The major parties are divided. And if they do not solve the issue this month, they will come up against a deadline that will dissolve the Knesset and require an election.
Once the parties warned about 1,000 infections per day. Now the number has above 2,000, and it seems to be ignored by those in charge. Recently the number has been down, but who knows what is the impact of reduced testing, and will come from the demonstrations and the 9th of Av.
Caronavirus departments at major hospitals have been more than 100 percent full.
Hourly news features politicians criticizing one another, and defending their own dubious claims.
A friend sent some data indicating that Israel’s daily infections, per million, were well above those of the United States. Then it didn’t take much to find data from Haáretz indicating that deaths per million from Coronavirus in the US were almost 10 times greater than in Israel.
Choose your data and join the chorus of those who comment or criticize.
Recognize that Israel’s medical facilities are scores ahead of the American equivalents, in terms of providing care at a minimum or no cost to the clients.
The 9th of Av came with 1,000 meant to get to the Western Wall, divided into groups no more than 20. But the lines were crossed, by who knows how many.
That’ll produce more infections, especially among those intent to pray as they feel is required.
The incidence of masks encountered on our daily walks has not increased. Roughly 50 percent of those encountered.
The problem remains serious. There’s no hot news about a vaccine that is ready. And we’re hearing that flu vaccines may be in short supply this fall.
It’s scheduled to be a tough winter.
News from the southern hemisphere, currently cold, indicates that the incidence of masks has cut down on the incidence of flu.
So maybe it won’t be catastrophic.
We can entertain ourselves by comparing Israel’s leadership to that of the US. Madness versus incompetence?
Here there’s more reports of violence between protesters and those opposed to them. Commentators are talking about threats against the lives of Bibi and his son. They’re recalling the days before the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin; asking again if Bibi’s inflammatory speeches contributed to that.
It doesn’t seem better elsewhere.
Travel is largely shut down, so few should be dreaming about their next trip. There’s internal tourism, and occasional comments about when the airport should open.
There are special flights, to bring students from India and religious Jews from the United States. We hear about enforced quarantines of two weeks for those arriving but who believes they’ll be enforced?
The Czar for Coronavirus has proposed his comprehensive plan, but it depends on widespread cooperation with respect to masks and separations. Meanwhile, the continued demonstrations, plus the celebration of the 9th of Av and later Rosh Hashanah will each provide their nests for infection. And we’re not sure about the infection potential of restaurants, bars, and gyms. Now the operators of places for weddings and other gatherings are saying they’ll open, whether or not permitted.
Boring? Perhaps. What to do with the variety of assessments, proposals, and commentary? Ignore it all, or work hard to figure out the present and near future, and one’s own responses?
Not so boring were the more than 15,000 demonstrating around the Prime Minister’s residence, and more in Tel Aviv and around his personal residence along the coast. Prominent signs read, “Crime Minister.”
His own response was over the top, charging a conspiracy by the media against him, similar to what occurs in North Korea and Russia!! He called the demonstrations a threat against democracy, while Benny Gantz cited them as part of democracy’s essence.
He also arranged a press conference, along with the Health Minister and the Coronavirus Czar, to coincide with prime time news on the day after large demonstrations. The conferences provided nothing dramatic. Perhaps it was to deter news coverage of the demonstrations.
How far are we from elections?
Among Bibi’s considerations is a closing of public sites during the night. To prevent demonstrations?
We hear from the President of Brazil, himself a former Coronvirusa victim and the head of a country with a very high infection rate, that death is part of life. So what?
Our own calculations tell us to take care and postpone the inevitable. We wear masks in public, and avoid non-essential clusters of others. And we’re waiting for some kind of vaccine, and hope that it works.
*
Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D, is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. He may be contacted via ira.sharkansky@sdjewishworld.com