Netanyahu Calls to Investigate Leaked Tapes From Coronavirus Cabinet

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Monday to investigate a leaked recording from Israel’s coronavirus cabinet meeting, in which the Shin Bet Chief Nadav Argaman is heard voicing opposition to tracking coronavirus patients.

“I cannot recall such a thing in all my years as prime minister,” Netanyahu said, calling on all agencies, “including the attorney general,” to investigate the incident.

In the recording, aired Sunday on Channel 12 news, Nadav Argaman is heard saying that Israel must “work hard to have a civilian solution, the solution is not [for the tracking] to be done by the Shin Bet.”

Netanyahu is also heard in the recording of a meeting held some two weeks ago, saying that “this pandemic is coming back. Now the question is how much we are willing to do because of this thing that will reach us very soon.”

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Haaretz reported Saturday that Netanyahu is considering resuming measures to allow the Shin Bet to track confirmed and suspected cases. The proposed legislation would let the government use the security service’s geolocation capabilities to identify locations where confirmed patients have been and other people they may have come in contact with, based on their cellphone data.