After Failing to Reach Agreement, Israel’s ‘Coronavirus Cabinet’ to Reconvene

Israel’s “Corona Cabinet,” consisting of ministers of health, finance and others, will meet again on Monday, in an attempt to determine what actions to take in order to combat a recent surge in case numbers. The team dispersed on Sunday without settling on a plan, after Health Minister Yuli Edelstein demanded to roll back some relief packages and impose a part-time lockdown, but encountered resistance from fellow ministers. Also on Monday, the Knesset is expected to pass a watered-down version of a proposed law authorizing the Shin Bet to surveil Israeli citizens’ movement by phone, in order to sever chains of contaminations. The head of the committee for exterior and security issues guaranteed the bill will be in place temporarily and will expire after several weeks. A total of 334 new cases of coronavirus were diagnosed yesterday, bringing the number of cases in Israel to 23,755. So far, 318 Israelis have died from the virus.