Amid pandemic, Israel considers drive-through polling stations
On the backdrop of a third nationwide closure, preparation for the March elections present great difficulties and challenges.
Israelis are currently under a third national lockdown, as the number of people infected by the coronavirus keeps rising. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering tightening restrictions even more. At the same time, Israelis are now facing yet another round of elections. But how can the authorities handle both campaigns at the same time?
After three tense election campaigns — each resulting in deadlock — the State of Israel was at an impasse, with neither the Likud nor the Blue and White party able to form a government. Finally, in May 2020, the leaders of the two major blocs — Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud and Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party — agreed to form a unity government.
Based on the coalition’s basic guidelines, Israel’s 35th government was intended to deal with the coronavirus crisis and the accompanying economic crisis, while fostering an atmosphere of national reconciliation. It was hoped that this would begin to heal the deep divisions plaguing the country for the past few years, while combating the pandemic. Seven months have passed since that government was formed, and it now seems as if the “coronavirus coalition” has done everything but deal with either the coronavirus crisis or the economy. As for national reconciliation, there’s nothing to see here. The official “reconciliation cabinet,” supposedly formed with the new government, never actually met. Meanwhile, with the announcement that the 23rd Knesset had been dissolved, Israelis found themselves headed to a fourth round of elections in just two years.
The new election is scheduled to take place March 23. Israel started its coronavirus vaccination drive Dec. 27. The Ministry of Health has managed so far to vaccinate with the first dose out of two some 1.2 million people, which is more than a tenth of its population. With this, Israel is now at the forefront of the international vaccination effort. Still, the pandemic keeps raging in Israel, and there are no guarantees that its spread would be halted by election day. Thus, the Central Elections Committee is hard at work discussing preparations for the elections, given the particular challenges anticipated as a result of the virus.
