Is Israel Returning to Normalcy Too Soon?

On the evening of May 4, the family WhatsApp pinged. “The Bibi show is on,” one family member wrote. The rest of us knew what this meant: The prime minister was going live to inform his people about what had been decided concerning the fight against the coronavirus. “He loves the graphs,” wrote another family member. “Indeed, he does,” replied another, “the graphs, and his own voice.” A screen shot was shared with the family: Benjamin Netanyahu points at a graph showing how Israel is doing better than most other countries in its quest to stem the plague. At the bottom of the image, the dog stares at the TV screen. One wonders what she had in mind.

The mood was half celebratory. Netanyahu appeared with many of his ministers, thanking one, asking another for information, instructing a third to hurry up, sharing anecdotes, even answering questions from journalists. He was at the peak of his game. Commanding, assertive, confident and a little smug. He wants credit for doing the right thing, and he asks for it in a way that is almost undignified. Just a few hours before this celebration, the Supreme Court ended its two long sessions about the legality of Netanyahu’s unity agreement with former rival Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party. The prime minister didn’t look nervous or disturbed by the court. He defeated the virus, he can defeat a few justices.

As the country begins its long march back to normality, many doubts linger.

He was ebullient, but his viewers had mixed feelings. Is this really over? As the country begins its long march back to normality, many doubts linger. Will the virus have a second surge? Will businesses recover and, if so, how much time that will take? Will there be a vaccine or must we wear masks in the coming years? Can grandchildren meet their grandparents without forgetting that they mustn’t hug and kiss them? Is the country going back to semi-normalcy too soon?

It’s been a few long weeks since we were forced into quarantine, and yet, somehow, it isn’t easy to get used to the idea that we can now go back to walking around freely, meeting friends, shopping, driving. Adjusting to the quarantine wasn’t easy. Adjusting to semi-normalcy isn’t easy. For a few weeks, the whole family was home. It was sometimes crowded but also nice. For a few weeks, we didn’t run around doing things that weren’t completely necessary. It was strange but had its advantages. The virus forced us to declutter our lives. Forget the unimportant stuff, focus on what’s important.

A few weeks ago, our world suddenly halted, as if someone had pressed a pause button. A few days ago, the pause button was hit again — this time to unpause our world. And yet, the hand is still there, holding the remote, ready to pause our world again. We don’t know if the virus is beaten. We don’t know why Israel had a relatively low mortality rate. Why in Belgium, a country with a population of about 11.5 million, 8,000 people died, while in Israel, a country of about 9 million, only 200 died. Was it the quick response of Israel’s government, or public awareness, or better health system, or the weather, or our young population, or all of the above and then some luck? It might never be known if Israel was alert and agile, or hysterical and overreacted.

Some of it depends on priorities: How does one weigh the lives of 100 80-year-old people whose lives might be put in danger against the economic well-being of 100 40-year-old people who must support a family? Much can’t be judged in hindsight. The Israeli government made hundreds of decisions within a short period of time without having much data to rely on, without a clear doctrine for such occurrences, under social, political and economic pressure. Did it do well? Yes. Not because it’s clear that Israel’s path was the right path but because it’s clear that the government was trying, and at most time succeeding, in being deliberate, serious, methodical and coherent.

Now it’s hit the button to unpause. Too late? Too soon? Maybe both. Under social, political and economic pressure, it made a choice that’s not unreasonable. This is not a cause for celebration. But slight satisfaction wouldn’t be completely improper.

Shmuel Rosner is senior political editor.