The chairman of the Corona committee, which this week voted against the government's decision and caused a stir in the Likud, said ahead of tomorrow's debate: "We will demand data, we want to know if the steps are correct" • Senior Likud official: "It is impossible to continue like this, the prime minister will fire Shasha-Bitton"

• MK Shasha-Bitton on the Corona Committee

  Photo: 

  Adina Velman - Spokeswoman for the Knesset

Threatened to "rebel" again - and be fired?  The chairman of the Corona committee in the Knesset, MK Yifat Shasha-Bitton (Likud), said tonight (Saturday) on the program "Meet the press on News 12 that it is not at all certain that they will approve the new restrictions that will be discussed tomorrow in the Knesset committee it heads.

"Tomorrow we will discuss restrictions, we will need data. We want to get an overall picture, to know if the required steps are correct. I am not sure we are in a situation that justifies a closure. We need to understand the economic damage compared to the health benefits at every step," said MK Shasha-Bitton. Shortly afterwards, a senior Likud official said: "The prime minister will fire Yifat Shasha Bitton from her post. It is not possible to continue working like this."

In response to the threats of dismissal, Shasha-Bitton said: "I am a member of the coalition and respect the government's decisions. A key part of the Knesset's work is to criticize the work of the government and if there are mistakes - it needs to be corrected. "The livelihood of tens of thousands of workers. I came for one purpose, to serve the people of Israel. If I have to pay a personal price for it - I will receive it with love."

I am a member of the coalition and respect the decisions of the government. A key part of the work of the Knesset is to criticize the work of the government. When there are mistakes - need to be corrected. My job is to examine the best way to fight the virus, to maintain the mental and physical health of the citizens and to save the livelihoods of tens of thousands of workers.

- Ifat Shasha Bitton (@sbyifat) July 18, 2020

In a tweet that she posted to her Twitter account tonight, MK Shasha-Bitton wrote: "I am a member of the coalition and I respect the government's decisions. A key part of the work of the Knesset is to criticize the work of the government. When there are mistakes - need to be corrected. My role is to examine the best way to fight the virus, to maintain the mental and physical health of the citizens and to save the livelihoods of tens of thousands of workers. "

As you may recall, during the week Shasha-Bitton and most of the members of the Corona Committee rejected the restrictions on the closure of the gyms imposed a few days earlier, and allowed them to reopen, until the reopening yesterday in accordance with the government decision from Thursday night. Due to the move she made, the coalition's chairman, MK Miki Zohar, threatened Shasha-Bitton with dismissal, even though in the end the Likud decided to take disciplinary action against her only.

The chairman of the Corona Committee added about the gyms and pools: "At the moment there are no new data, even in the explanatory memorandum of the government decision they are writing this and they will have to explain to us why, even though there is no data, they demand to close the gyms and pools again. We will hear all the professionals and make the decisions. "

The director general of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Hezi Levy, also referred to the restrictions in "Meet the Press": "It is very difficult to know and estimate how many were infected in the pool, how many at weddings, how many here and how many there. Most respondents say exactly where they were, when they were and when they were infected. There are indirect circumstances. We see what happens in the graphs of infected people after imposing restrictions and removing them. Anything that is a gathering will lead to disease. The beach remains open, we recognize that there is less adhesion. "