Huh? The health ministry? The ministry that for years no one wanted, which was always the government's long-lost step-cousin, which lacked both funds and prestige? Ashkenazi, a former chief-of staff, would rather have that ministry than the foreign ministry?.
Being foreign minister has – along with being defense minister – traditionally been the most sought after position in the cabinet. It gave stature to whomever held the job, and was seen as a stepping stone even to the Prime Minister's Office. It was a ministry that gave its holder a great deal of visibility, allowing him/her to travel the earth, hobnob with and get to know the world's leaders.
That Ashkenazi has reportedly indicated a preference for the health ministry over the foreign ministry shows two things. First,the degree to which the foreign ministry has fallen on hard times. And, second, the degree to which priorities – meaning budget, focus and attention – are bound to shift after the corona crisis passes.
Regarding the foreign ministry, as many of its responsibilities have been taken away and given to other bodies (the diaspora affairs ministry, the strategic affairs ministry, the Prime Minister's Office) it was only a matter of time before ministerial candidates realized that this ministry was not what it once was.
The ministry is not the lead player in relations with the US, Egypt, Jordan, Russia, China, India or the Palestinian Authority. The ministry's voice around the cabinet table is often drowned out by that of the Mossad and National Security Council. And its budget has been stripped bare.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that he does not hold this ministry in very high regard, and that he and his office can do much of what the ministry once did. So the ministry is left dealing with international organizations, Europe, and helping extract Israelis in trouble abroad. This is a ministry, unfortunately, whose glory days are behind it.
It is no wonder, therefore, that Ashkenazi was not chomping at the bit to take control there. It is clear that with Netanyahu as prime minister, his hands as foreign minister would be tied and Netanyahu – for all intents and purposes – will continue to run the country's foreign policy. And even after Netanyahu, as anticipated, rotates with Benny Gantz as prime minister in 18 months, he is still expected to be in charge of relations with the US and Russia. In other words,Netanyahu will still be directing foreign policy.
The health ministry, however, is another story. If the foreign ministry's star is on the decline, after coronavirus, the health ministry's will certainly be on the rise.
COVID-19 is sure to realign priorities around the world. Just as after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US the world shifted its attention and resources to counter-terrorism efforts, so too after this crisis it will it shift its focus and resources to science and medicine.
If after 9/11 the threat was a terrorist on an airplane, and the goal was to prevent him from boarding; after corona the threat is an unknown microbe, and the goal is be able to deal more effectively with it if it attacks again.
Globally, much more money will be spent on health and science, with the realization pounded into the public by the virus that this is what really matters.
And the same will be true locally. Though the country has starved its health system for years, giving budgetary preference to security and the military, the virus has slammed home the realization that security is not only an Iron Dome, but also a ventilator. And that just as billions are spent on armaments in an effort to save lives, so now must billions be spent on the health system, also to save lives.
If in the past building a new hospital ward might not have seemed as sexy as building a new anti-missile defense system, after the virus that new, state-of-the-art respiratory ward looks that much more important.
In addition, there will be a surge of public interest in what is happening on the health scene. Dramatic decisions will be needed to bring the country's health system up to OECD standards. The public will follow the issue, and the health minister will no longer be someone dealing with issues only the sick care about, but rather with issues that suddenly everyone is interested in. The health minister will have stature.
And, if the health minister is able to turn around the country’s health system, that will serve him well in an effort to climb up the political ladder, since today the public -- as a result of COVID-19 -- cares more about health issues than about foreign policy.