Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz was caught on a hot mic disclosing the real reason for imposing “green pass,” a Covid-19 vaccine passport, for certain venues.
Ahead of a weekly Cabinet meeting, Horowitz turned to Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked noting that "there is no medical or epidemiological justification for the Covid passport [green pass], it is only intended to pressure the unvaccinated to vaccinate." He was unaware Channel 12 News was recording behind him.
Currently, he said, “there is a kind of universality to the ‘green pass’ system, other than at malls, where I think it should be imposed, [because] now it’s clear that it applies nowhere.”
Horowitz went on to explain that the only way for there to be no exceptions—since people wonder why if it’s ok not to have a pass for pools “then why for water parks, outdoor facilities and sports?”—is to have the regulations be uniformly enforced.
On the one hand, he added, “we don’t want to do things that have no medical justification. But I’m telling you that we have a problem. The ‘green pass’ isn’t even being enforced; certainly not in the Arab sector, where it doesn’t exist at all. And I’m seeing the effect on the hospitals.”
Horowitz and Shaked were joined by Intelligence Minister Elazar Stern, who, also unaware that the conversation was on tape, expressed disgust with the unvaccinated.
“It’s annoying that they’re taking up the [hospital] beds,” he said. To which Horowitz replied: “Those in intensive care, yes.” (JNS)
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet later told the Cabinet tolerance for the unvaccinated was over, according to JNS—striking a similar tone to President Biden, who said last week “our patience [for the unvaccinated] is wearing thin” while announcing new vaccine mandates.
Horowitz's admission that there's no scientific justification for the vaccine passport comes as England took a "sharp U-turn" on its plan to implement vaccine passports later this month.