Israelis flocked to bars and restaurants. For more than a week, bars, restaurants, museums and theaters have reopened in Israel, but you can only enter with a “green pass” – that’s what the vaccine passes are called in Israel. The document is issued one week after the second dose of the vaccine.
“Last week it was very cold, people without ‘green passes’ couldn’t get in, and they couldn’t stay on the terrace for long – they left quickly,” says restaurant owner Omar Ido in Jerusalem. The conversation with Omer revealed two main moods that all Israeli businessmen are currently experiencing: joy at the fact that life is returning, and frustration at the losses caused by the Israeli authorities’ decision.
The possible introduction of vaccine passports has long been discussed in many countries, but so far only Israel has moved from words to action. Recently, it was announced that China has introduced mandatory vaccine passports for international travel. However, the Israeli experience concerns the internal administration of the country, which is undoubtedly a more complex and large-scale experiment.
How has life changed for Israelis? Will vaccine passports become the norm? And can Israel serve as a model for the entire post-pandemic world? At the end of February, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Albert Bourla, called Israel “the world’s laboratory” in an interview with the American television channel ABC, referring to the unprecedented level of vaccination in the country and the fact that only Pfizer’s vaccine is used there. According to him, Israel has become a benchmark for measuring the impact of vaccination on public health and the economy. The country was one of the first in the world to quickly arrange for the purchase of millions of doses of vaccine, and by the end of last December, it had already vaccinated at least half of its population with at least one dose.
Unlike other countries, vaccinated Israelis have several advantages. Such mobile vaccination stations travel to remote areas of Israel, especially to kibbutzim – small agricultural settlements. The number of services is expected to remain the same. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. The Episodes The end of the story: Podcast Advertising Now, a vaccinated Israeli can return to social and cultural life (tickets to theaters and museums are sold out well in advance), is not required to be quarantined upon return from abroad, and is exempt from the system’s rules for tracking contacts of the infected. This means that they do not have to isolate themselves if they come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID.
“Green passports are now also required when visiting hotels, swimming pools, gyms and sporting events. Children under the age of 16 who have not been vaccinated must take a COVID-19 test to visit these places. At the same time, vaccination does not exempt one from the obligation to wear masks in public places and to maintain social distance. The fine for not wearing a mask is 1000 shekels (about $300) for any citizen of the country. A vaccination pass is not required to use public transportation or enter shopping malls. Beginning March 7, people across the country will be lining up to get into their favorite places at establishments that do not offer advance table reservations.
“We, a group of four, waited in line at the restaurant for about 40 minutes. Then we gave up and went to a beach bar where you don’t have to wait for a table; you can sit by the water with a drink,” says Esther from Eilat, a city in the southernmost part of Israel. “Queues are everywhere, but it has nothing to do with ‘green passports’, you just show them at the entrance from your phone and it takes a second. The queues are because people are just overwhelmed by the feeling of freedom. Eating in a restaurant is like a reward for months of suffering,” the girl continues.
Assaf is a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship. He came to Jerusalem from his hometown of Bilin in the West Bank, where everything has been closed since mid-December, to visit relatives. With his “green passport” he entered a bar. Assaf (right) has a “green pass,” but he sits outside because smoking is not allowed inside. “Here is a warning that a passport should be shown, and this should be respected. But they are not checked in the same way everywhere. I believe it is the personal responsibility of each individual to act honestly,” says Assaf. “Without a ‘green passport’, you can only sit on an open terrace. And the question of the feasibility of this segregation arises when a vaccinated customer sitting inside and an unvaccinated one on the veranda meet in a shared restroom.”
The authorities explain that the “green passport” is first of all a kind of security certificate, certifying that its holder does not pose a risk of infection (however, there is still no international scientific consensus on this matter, which is why the WHO still does not recommend the introduction of vaccine passports). In addition, according to Israeli authorities, such segregation protects those vaccinated from new strains against which the current vaccine may be ineffective. “I think these restrictions are balanced. It’s not forever, but for now we need to separate those who have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19,” said former chief coordinator for the fight against coronavirus in Israel, Roni Gamzo.
Business owners face heavy fines and must ensure that customers without “green passports” are not allowed in. For the inability to distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, the owner of the establishment can be fined from 5000 to 10000 shekels ($1500-3000). However, according to interviews with BBC correspondents, in reality the situation varies drastically from place to place – from overly meticulous checks to no checks at all. Forgery of a “green passport” may result in criminal prosecution, including imprisonment.
Israeli anti-vaxxers are furious. Their campaign cannot be called large-scale, but eyewitnesses tell of terrible scandals in the first days after restaurant doors reopened, refusing entry to unvaccinated patrons. “We don’t believe in this government, we don’t trust the agreement with Pfizer, we don’t know what’s in [the vials]. It feels like we have become part of the biggest experiment in human history,” says 41-year-old Israeli journalist Arnon Maoz. “This situation does not inspire confidence, our government is lying.” In early March, the anti-vaccination organization “Anshei Emet” (“People of Truth”) filed a lawsuit against the Israeli authorities with the International Criminal Court. In it, the plaintiffs claim that the Israeli government is forcing the country’s population to be vaccinated by any means necessary, thereby committing a crime against humanity under the Nuremberg Code, under which Nazi criminals were tried for conducting medical experiments on living people.
“We are not guinea pigs” and “My medical record belongs only to me” – written on posters by opponents of vaccination and the introduction of “green passports”. Opponents also point out that the “green passport” is only issued for six months. What happens after that? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that he wants to prepare the country for the need to vaccinate twice a year. “No one knows how long the vaccine will last, but we have every reason to believe that it will not end in July, and that gives us optimism,” says Professor Jonathan Halevi, director of Shaarei Zedek Medical Center. According to him, the next vaccination will not be needed until 2022. Against the backdrop of such statements, anti-vaccinationists argue that the “green passport” is nothing more than a tool to coerce people into vaccination because it will be difficult to live without it for a long time.
“In the State of Israel, there is no compulsory vaccination and there will never be one. Those who refuse to be vaccinated have the right to do so. There will also be no individual sanctions against those who do not vaccinate. It is important to understand that being vaccinated is a great privilege for all of us, which many countries in the world have not yet achieved,” assures Israel’s Health Minister, Yuli Edelstein, to his fellow citizens. However, teacher Natalia Zolotar from Tel Aviv confirms that there have been attempts to force teachers to be vaccinated in the field of education. “Three weeks ago, we were told that unvaccinated teachers would not be allowed to work. Since then, the Ministry of Education has changed tactics to soft pressure, let’s call it. Now they are appealing to our civic duty through some videos and conversations,” says Natalia in an interview with the BBC. According to her, school administrators ask about vaccinations, but do not exclude students from classes – at least in her region. In other cities, the rules may be different because decisions are made at the municipal level. “We plan to offer teachers a choice – vaccination or mandatory COVID testing every 72 hours. It is clear that the second option is extremely inconvenient, and it is unlikely that many will choose it,” says Natalia Zolotar.
On Monday, vaccination with a Russian vaccine began in some hospitals of the Gaza Strip. The batch was donated to the Palestinians by the United Arab Emirates. Among the Russian immigrants, there is a fairly large group that is not against vaccination in principle, but is willing to be vaccinated only with the Russian “Sputnik V” vaccine. Currently, only the Pfizer vaccine is available in Israel. “My mother said that she wanted the “Sputnik” vaccine since the beginning of vaccination. She is over 60, but she has not yet been vaccinated, and we are already receiving very persistent letters from our health insurance company. She is generally very loyal to Russia, and if we didn’t live so far from the center, she would go and vote,” says Rimma K., who lives in southern Israel. “My stepfather is waiting for the Russian vaccine. He read somewhere that there is a certain amount of ‘Sputnik V’ in Israel, and he is waiting to see when it will be offered to him. He does not want to be vaccinated with the American vaccine, because he considers the Russian vaccine to be the most tested and the safest. He says that the Americans are making money out of it, while the Russian vaccine is made for people,” says Nika from Ramat Gan. Her family immigrated to Israel from Donetsk. Vaccine advocates are extremely aggressive toward anti-vaxxers, who they say are holding the country back. Especially towards the Orthodox community, which for the most part did not think to follow epidemiological norms throughout the pandemic. On Israeli social networks, there have been repeated stories of police fining people for walking their dogs on the beach without masks, while not interfering with mass gatherings in Orthodox neighborhoods.
Orthodox believers categorically refused to temporarily abandon communal prayer. According to statistics, the rate of COVID-19 infection in the ultra-Orthodox sector is more than three times the national average. According to the majority of Israelis, the permissiveness of the Orthodox is explained by the fact that they are an important part of Netanyahu’s constituency, but even he will find it difficult to get them to vaccinate. Only a small percentage of the community supports the vaccination campaign. Most Orthodox people do not need “green passports”: they rarely go to restaurants and museums, and certainly never to nightclubs. “There are political and electoral considerations, as well as the loss of control over the coronavirus. [As a result, we are facing another lockdown. In other words, everyone is being collectively punished for violations in a certain sector,” commented Avigdor Liberman, leader of the “Our Home – Israel” party, in an interview with the Israeli publication “Vesti”.
From the very beginning of the pandemic, Israel’s actions and decisions set it apart from other countries. It was the first to decide that major holidays were a serious breeding ground for infection, and implemented quarantine measures during the Jewish Passover holiday last April. The rest of the world followed suit, with restrictions imposed everywhere from Thanksgiving in the United States to Christmas in Europe. Israel was the first to impose a second nationwide shutdown in September last year, with many other countries following suit. It also became the only country to deny entry to its own citizens when, according to the authorities, the situation began to seriously spiral out of control. Ben-Gurion International Airport was closed for over a month – from February 1 to March 6. Another innovation from Israel not only provokes objections from some Israelis, but also raises serious doubts among international human rights activists. What about people who cannot be vaccinated because of their health conditions? Don’t vaccine passports remind us of segregation on the basis of a certain characteristic? Isn’t the disclosure of medical history a violation of doctor-patient confidentiality?
Europe is seriously considering adopting Israel’s experience. Recently, Tamar Zandberg, a member of the Israeli Knesset, called for ethics to be considered in the fight against coronavirus. When the country’s parliament gave local authorities access to information on unvaccinated residents for further targeted vaccination campaigns, Zandberg said the state had embarked on a slippery slope of intervention in the private lives of its citizens.
On March 17, the European Commission is expected to announce the creation of a “green digital certificate” that will allow EU citizens to travel within the bloc without the need for quarantine. The details are not yet known, but according to the Financial Times, it will be possible to obtain this certificate not only by being vaccinated, but also by presenting a negative COVID test or proof that the person has already had COVID.
At the same time, several European Union countries, as well as the United Kingdom, are still considering the idea of introducing vaccine passports within the country.
“I think that in the debate between ethics and expediency, big business will prevail,” says Israeli businessman Ofir Frish. “IT giants, international airlines and the tourism industry, which are the sectors to which the markets are most responsive and on whose side governments will be, are in favor of a rapid implementation of a control system that could very well include vaccine passports.”