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Sources close to PM Netanyahu: DM Gantz interfering with management of coronavirus

Sources close to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu attacked Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Sunday, claiming Gantz was getting in the way of the government’s attempts curtail the latest outbreak.

“The quality of care and decision-making has dropped off since the beginning of the second virus wave as a result of unnecessary tug of war,” sources with knowledge of the situation told Channel 13 News. ”

They’re not allowing the captain to navigate the boat and getting in his way to make matters worse. It is difficult to manage a national; [not to mention an] international crisis this way.”

Officials from Gantz’s party responded by saying they “couldn’t detect a single example [of the said allegations].”

At a meeting of the Caronavirus Cabinet last Thursday, Netanyahu was livid after Gantz claimed that “Every decision of the [Health Ministry] needs to be approved by the Home Front Command and Ministry of Defense.”

After making the statement, Gantz issued a formal statement to the media while the hearing was still ongoing.

Furious with Gantz’s announcement, Netanyahu left the discussion, making a veiled threat to hold another election. Minister of Health Yuli Edelstein also strongly objected, saying, “When I hear Gantz saying he wants to see authority relinquished from the Ministry of Health, as far as I’m concerned, this isn’t exactly team play. To me, it looks like someone’s playing politics at the expense of Israeli citizens.”

A report released Sunday morning by the Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center indicated that 804 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed Saturday.

The number of active CV-19 cases in Israel reached a new high of 11,004 this morning. The number of patients in serious condition also rose to 83 from yesterday’s 74.

The most high-risk areas, according to the report, are Bnei Brak, which recorded 450 new coronavirus cases over the past week, Beitar Illit, with 57 new cases, and Kfar Qasim, with 19 additional virus infections.

The cabinet decided to pass a number of new measures, limiting attendants at halls, bars, clubs and synagogues to 50 today, following requests by the Ministry of Health.

“We are in the midst of a very strong coronavirus outbreak,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said at the meeting. “This outbreak will be accompanied by a doubling of the number of severely ill patients, which will challenge the health care system.”

Source: Arutz Sheva