Sixty-six percent of Israelis have little or no trust in Health Minister Ya’acov Litzman to handle the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by the Israel Democracy Institute.
The survey was released exclusively to The Jerusalem Post on Friday, the same day that the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) completed its investigation into the movements of the minister, who was diagnosed with coronavirus on Thursday.
His diagnosis caused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad director Yossi Cohen, National Security Council adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and Health Ministry director-general Moshe Bar Siman Tov to all enter quarantine for 14 days from the time they were last with him.
A release explaining that Litzman’s phone was tracked and the results reviewed was released by the Health Ministry, and the data was uploaded to the national coronavirus tracking map. Those who came into contact with him have been contacted personally.
The news comes on the backdrop of a report published Thursday by Channel 12 that questioned whether Litzman violated his own ministry’s guidelines. He reportedly prayed at a synagogue with a minyan on Saturday, March 28, three days after the Health Ministry’s directive that “no person should pray in a place other than his place of residence unless prayers are being conducted in an open space.”
Testimony by residents in the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) neighborhood where Litzman lives suggests that he repeatedly violated the directives.
Moreover, when the Knesset was being sworn in three weeks ago, Litzman was the only one who refused to have his temperature taken before entering the building, Channel 13 reported.
In response, Litzman’s office denied the allegations. “The minister of health has been fully responsible for the entire period,” it said in a statement.
Litzman’s office accused the report of being rooted in politics, adding: “Attempt to involve political pressure in a national and global emergency must be rejected.”
Litzman is 71 years old, which puts him at high risk for developing a fatal case of COVID-19. His wife, Chava, was also infected.
In contrast, the majority of the country believes that Netanyahu is handling the crisis well: 54.7% of Israelis (63.6% of Jews and 26.4% of Arabs) say they have a “fair bit” or “great deal” of trust in the prime minister, according to the survey.
IDI also found that on a scale of one to 10, the public rates its stress level at 5.54 and the majority (69.6%) are optimistic about Israeli society’s ability to overcome the current crisis.
Ceila Jean contributed to this report.