Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has banned unvaccinated citizens from public life after describing them as a threat to the health and freedom of every Israeli.
From August 8, Israelis will be required to carry vaccination papers if they wish to participate in any social activity that involves more than 100 people, such as going to a cinema, sports game, or synagogue.
All Israelis will be required to provide either a vaccination certificate or a recent negative test result, at their own expense, whenever authorities demand “Your papers, please.”
In his Thursday media address, Bennett urged vaccinated citizens to “persuade” the unvaccinated by accusing them of “hurting others,” and to “not give up” applying social pressure until they submit to the injection.
Bennet said those who refuse the vaccine “hurt us all,” claiming that if 1 million citizens, of the state’s 9 million, refuse the vaccine, then that would force the remaining 8 million to “shut themselves in their homes,” neglecting families, studies, and work.
At this point, the only thing seemingly missing is some sort of brightly colored badge for social identification with the inscription, “Unvaxxed Jude.”
Bennett said:
There are still over 600,000 young people, up to age 30 who have yet to get vaccinated. I respect different views, but there is a time and a place in which this discussion needs to stop – and it is our very lives. The science is unequivocal: The vaccines work. They are effective and safe, almost completely for young people. For the older population, they are effective but not enough. Over one billion people around the world have already been vaccinated.
Dear citizens those who refuse vaccines are endangering their health, those around them and the freedom of every Israeli citizen. They are endangering our freedom to work, the freedom of our children to study, and the freedom to hold celebrations with family. Those who refuse vaccines hurt us all, because if all of us were vaccinated, we would all be able to maintain daily life. But if one million Israelis continue to not get vaccinated, this will oblige the 8 million others to shut themselves in their homes.
The Corona Cabinet decided today that of 8 August those who refuse vaccines will not be able to go to the cinema, the theatre, the synagogue, the amusement parks, the soccer games or any activity with over 100 people, indoors or out, unless they bring negative results from coronavirus test at their expense.
Yes, they will fully bear the cost of the test. There is no reason why the taxpayer and people who have carried out their civic duty and have been vaccinated should finance tests for those who refuse to get vaccinated.
Regarding flights, people who have been vaccinated will be able to fly to the ‘clean’ countries and return; after they receive negative test results in Israel, they will be exempt from quarantine. But on the other hand, those who refuse to get vaccinated, will enter quarantine for a week, no matter what country they will have returned from. These actions will help us block the morbidity.
From here on, I appeal to everyone who knows someone who refuses to get vaccinated: Persuade them. Explain to them that they should not hurt others. Persuade and explain – do not give up.
For the first time in my life, I am absolutely lost for words. pic.twitter.com/5Tq5FMLRhW
— Laurence Fox ✌🏼🇬🇧✌🏼 (@LozzaFox) July 23, 2021