Banana Republic much? Israel extends medical emergency, COVID policies, expands testing with only 10 Knesset Members present
Israel this week extended the "medical emergency" and COVID-19 policies, and added expanded medical testing in a Knesset vote that passed with only ten MKs present in the plenum. The measures passed with a majority of 6 MKs for, and 4 MKs voting against in a move that family doctor, consultant, internal medicine and medical administration expert, and lecturer Dr. Yoav Yehezkeli called “a fixed game."
The extended "state of emergency" will continue for another 60 days. The reason: The risk of several variants outside the borders of Israel.
"The excuses were provided by another opinion loaded with fear-mongering and misrepresentation by the public health services. I wouldn't legitimize the opinion by calling it 'unfounded' because only that which is scientific can be refuted, while there is nothing scientific about it - it's all hypotheses and beliefs."
Yehezkeli is a lecturer in the Emergency and Disaster Management Program at Tel Aviv University, is one of the founders of the epidemic treatment team, is a district physician, and former district director of health funds.
He continued: "There is no professional justification for continuing the state of emergency and the discriminatory restrictions derived from it in the form of the 'green passport.
"This is what a broken democracy looks like.
"When tyranny is accepted by a frightened and obedient public, flooded by a co-opted media, it does not stop at red lights.
"Like a frog in a pot the water gradually boiled until we were deprived of the ability to save ourselves.
"Does the medical establishment continue to allow politicians to misuse it for its own purposes? To those politicians who abandoned medical personnel in the past year?
"How long will medical professionals remain at peace with lasting violation of the core values of our profession? With irrational, arbitrary guidelines, with the violation of patients' rights and our independent thinking, with the disregard for the duty of providing care, with the cutting of scientific corners, with the absence of open professional discussion?"
