(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks, today (Sunday, 26 July 2020), at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting:
“The second wave of the coronavirus is hitting the entire world, including Israel. We are continuing to act with full force to block the spread of the pandemic.
“Over the weekend, we appointed Prof. Ronni Gamzu as national coronavirus project manager. During the week, Prof. Gamzu will present an action plan for severing the chain of infection, and the IDF will have a significant role in this important mission. I asked Prof. Gamzu to also present a long-term national action plan for routine life in the time of coronavirus and he will present it to the Cabinet and afterwards to the public, of course.
“But I would like to emphasize – there are no magic solutions. Without personal responsibility from every one of you, citizens of Israel, there will be no possibility of blocking the virus. I must say that I see an improvement in behavior, but more needs to be done. Wearing masks, maintaining personal distance, hygiene and avoiding gatherings, will defeat the pandemic.
“Today, we are submitting for Cabinet approval the plan for grants for every citizen. Afterwards, we will pass it on to the Knesset for lightning legislation so that the money reaches you, citizens of Israel, as quickly as possible. We are also working on additional plans to encourage the economy and channel funds to those who have been hurt by the coronavirus. We will continue to move the wheels of the economy in order to put people back to work.
“Regarding the northern front, we are acting according to our consistent policy of not allowing Iran to entrench militarily on our northern border. Lebanon and Syria bear the responsibility for any attack against Israel emanating from their territories. We will not allow our security to be undermined; neither will we allow our citizens to be threatened. We will not tolerate attacks on our forces. Together with the Defense