A loud argument broke out at the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday during a discussion on the resumption of GPS tracking of coronavirus patients by the Shabak (Shin Bet).
Minister without portfolio Eli Avidar (Yisrael Beyteinu) claimed that "the head of the Shin Bet, who was the deputy head of the Shin Bet in the previous government and initially opposed the tool, has fallen in love with the tool."
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asked Avidar: "Do not speak against the head of the Shin Bet, do not discredit him."
Minister Avidar replied: "I will say what I want," and Bennett again demanded: "Do not discredit the head of the Shin Bet who does an excellent job. Who are you anyway?"
Prior to the Cabinet meeting, Avidar pledged to vote against the measure. "This government can't legitimize all of the mistakes of the previous government. I expect everyone to vote against this, which crosses a crazy red line."
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked (Yamina) said earlier that "the Shin Bet tracking will only be activated on those who are ill or those who are suspected of being infected with the new strain, and will stop if there is widespread illness or if we know the vaccine is effective."
"The steps taken yesterday are very correct," Shaked said of the new restrictions. "The virus is already here - we need to reduce its spread until we know if it is resistant to vaccines. Hopefully we will not have to implement restrictions but it depends very much on the public and immunization."