Is Netanyahu Blocking Quarantine Of US Travelers To Avoid Angering Trump?
By Staff Reporter
Posted on 03/08/20
| News Source: JPost
Authorities insist quarantine decisions not political, based on medical considerations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked the Health Ministry’s plan to quarantine Israelis returning from several US states in order not to hurt the US-Israel relationship, several media outlets reported on Sunday.The Prime Minister’s Office declined to answer whether political and diplomatic considerations were part of the decision-making process on quarantines.
Netanyahu wants to avoid angering US president Donald Trump and has, therefore, not allowed the Health Ministry to order people entering Israel after being in New York, California and Washington State to go into isolation, according to Hebrew media outlets.The prime minister is expected to make a decision on the matter ahead of a Health Ministry press briefing at 7 p.m. on Sunday.Government figures pushed back against claims that decisions about which travelers to quarantine in light of the novel coronavirus outbreak are based on political and diplomatic concerns.Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov said on Saturday night that the ministry was examining the possibility of sending people who arrived in Israel from Washington state, New York and California, where COVID-19 has spread, into isolation, but by Sunday, Army Radio reported that the decision was frozen.Asked about the reversal, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin told Army Radio that "such a decision has internal significance in the US. It is important to act in cooperation with the Americans on this matter." Read more at JPost