Tiered citizenry? Israelis protest Green Passport program

The demonstrators at Wednesday night’s protest called for a cancellation of the Green Passport and greater government transparency around coronavirus policies.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Around 1,000 Israelis demonstrated near Tel Aviv’s HaBima Theater on Wednesday evening, railing against the government’s Green Passport program and holding signs reading “No to coercion.”

The Green Passport program grants privileges to people who have been vaccinated or recovered from the virus. Holders of the document can pray inside a synagogue, use gyms and pools, stay in hotels, and attend live events like concerts.

People who do not have the Green Passport are barred from these activities.

Although Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said last week that “there will also be no personal sanctions against someone who is not vaccinated,” some Israelis feel that the Green Passport program is a form of punishment for those who do not wish to vaccinate.

The demonstrators at Wednesday night’s protest called for a cancellation of the Green Passport and greater government transparency around coronavirus policies.

The crowd repeatedly chanted, “there’s no such thing as classified for 30 years” and “release the records,” referring to the Israeli government’s decision to classify the content and decision-making process of many coronavirus committee discussions until the year 2050.

Speakers at the protest included attorney Oren Pasternak, who was an organizer of the summer 2011 social justice and cost-of-living protests, journalist Guy Maroz, and Dr. Zvika Granot, an immune system researcher and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Speaking to the crowd, Granot said that he was in favor of the coronavirus vaccine, but against the government forcing inoculation on the public.

“The vaccine works, and it protects,” he said, “and if there’s anyone here that I can take to the side and convince, I’m happy to encourage them [to vaccinate].

“But, this is the choice of every individual person, and that person alone. [No] forcing. You are the only one with the right to decide whether to vaccinate or not, and nobody should force you.”

Other speakers referenced Health Ministry warnings that workers in certain industries must be vaccinated, or else they must provide a negative coronavirus test every 48 hours in order to enter their workplaces. These tests would be paid for by the worker.

The legal status of such policies is murky, and a proposal to force teachers to vaccinate or undergo regular coronavirus testing was shot down by an Israeli court last week.

A large sign held by demonstrators depicted a Green Passport with the word “apartheid” written in English and Hebrew.

A different sign showed a Green Passport alongside a forearm tattooed with numbers, comparing the document to the branding of concentration camp inmates.

Some protesters wore yellow stars reminiscent of those Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust, with the words “Not vaccinated.”

Other countries are considering following Israel’s example in issuing Green Passports, with many European nations discussing the possibility of such a program.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested that such documents may be a stepping stone towards returning to pre-coronavirus life.

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