What is Going on in Israel, the “Vaccine Nation?”

By Callie Mitchell, SAVED News International Correspondent, Jerusalem, Israel
As of January 6, Israel, Pfizer, and BioNTech signed a historic contract that has made Israel the world leader in vaccinations per capita. Our government officials have been making great claims about leading the world out of this pandemic, but a lot of what’s happening on the ground here is nothing to emulate. Rather, it’s an indication of a need to pray for Israel and truly a sign of the times.

The Campaign

This campaign has been a 24 hour a day operation that turned sporting arenas into vaccination centers, and to date, we have over 4 million people who have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The goal has been mass vaccination: as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. This is a direct response to the Pfizer contract, and while initially, the turnout was high, it is required tremendous social and governmental pressure to continue.

Real-World Epidemiological Evidence Collaboration Agreement

The contract called the “Real-World Epidemiological Evidence Collaboration Agreement” has been hailed by our local media as a negotiating success in trading “data for doses.” The data in mention includes epidemiological data directly related to the use of the vaccine, but also our “de-identified” private healthcare records. Israel is uniquely able to facilitate this agreement due to being a small country of around 9 million citizens, with a public healthcare system that has over 20 years’ worth of digitalized records considered to be a “treasure trove” of data for medical research. Those desiring to be vaccinated cannot opt-out of the data sharing with Pfizer, and the Pfizer vaccine is the only one offered.
I believe the contract has set up Israel to be used as an experimental testing ground for the Pfizer mRNA technology. This technology has never been used in the population at this scale before in history, and it’s being administered in the form of an Emergency Use Authorized (EUA) vaccine. According to the FDA, an EUA is considered to be “investigational” and only valid for use during the State of Emergency. It is not an FDA safety approval.

Herd Immunity?

If it seems my opinion here is overly alarmist, at the DAVOS World Economic Forum, PM Netanyahu stated in his address that Israel is a “laboratory for herd immunity.” Then later, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla likened Israel to the “world’s lab” in an NBC interview. Their language clearly conveys the sense that an experiment is taking place. This is further expressed in the actual contract.

The Purpose

The purpose of the project, in section 2, is to analyze epidemiological data and to determine if herd immunity is reached after vaccinating a certain percentage of the population. The contract states that “the viability and success of this project is dependent on the rate and scope of vaccinations in Israel.” Since the published contract is redacted, we do not know what this time frame is, or how many people, and what demographics are expected to participate.
PM Netanyahu has stated that he expects the entire population over age 16 to be vaccinated by the end of April. By the entire population, it seems as if he means literally everyone. We have even been vaccinating demographics that were not included in the original clinical trials, again, in exchange for data. This list includes senior adults over 85 with pre-existing conditions, pregnant women, who have been aggressively targeted, and children under the age of 16 who are considered high risk for Covid-19 complications. Likewise, officials have stated that they plan to start vaccinating children over 12 as soon as the summer of 2021. Officials plan to move forward with children based on “preliminary data” without waiting for the full clinical trials to be completed, or authorization from the US regulators. I have to ask, is this data being used to complete clinical trials and an FDA approval without informed consent?

The Demands

The demands of the contract have set up the clear possibility for a conflict of interest. Large-scale non-compliance from Israeli citizens could jeopardize Israel’s ability to uphold our end of the agreement. An agreement, mind you, that no one asked us about, to begin with.
Initially, the turnout for the vaccine was very high. Once the campaign opened to the under age 45 population, officials reported a drop of nearly 50%. Recognizing that the younger population was less inclined to vaccinate, the government then began to heavily promote and implement the Green Passport system (though it was not developed in response to this drop in interest).

The Green Passport

The Green Passport is an immunity document with a scannable QR code that can be printed or accessed via a phone app. It contains information about the holder’s vaccine or documented Covid-19 recovery status. It is only available to vaccinated or recovered adults, and children under 16 who have documented recovery, as well. The Green Passport will allow holders to “get back to normal” by granting entry into restaurants, hotels, pools, gyms, sporting events, and concerts. “Houses of Worship” who plan to register with the system can have a 50% capacity of up to 500 participants. Alternatively, Houses of Worship can meet with 20 indoors, or 50 outdoors, no questions asked.
The Green Passport expires six months from two weeks after the second dose, and oddly, on June 30th for all documented recovery holders. Netanyahu is negotiating to place a Pfizer factory in Israel to keep the entire population vaccinated with two doses, twice a year. This lifestyle of vaccination being our ticket to fully participating in the economy is quickly becoming our “new normal” though it is anything but normal. Former Minnesota State Senator Dr. Scott Jenson, MD, recently made a statement that Vaccine Passports are “de-facto mandates.” We are experiencing this “de-facto mandate” in Israel.

Nuremberg Codes

This is particularly problematic in light of the Nuremberg Codes, which are ethical research standards that were put in place after World War II, because of what the Jewish people experienced in the Holocaust. Section 6 of the Nuremberg Codes states that a person involved in an experiment should “be able to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, over-reaching, or other ulterior form of constraint or coercion”.
When people are denied opportunities ordinarily granted to law-abiding citizens in a democracy, for refusing a medical treatment legally considered to be”investigational,” it’s not a free choice. It is an act of coercion. This is a violation of the Nuremberg Codes on Israeli soil, and sadly, with the involvement of the Israeli government.

Loss of Freedom

This is a loss of freedom, not only for those choosing not to receive the vaccine but also for those who are Green Passport holders. The second-century Roman poet Juvenal is quoted as saying “Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt.” The Green passport does just that. It gives bread (restaurants) and circuses (cultural events) as a distraction from the tyrannical way the government has acted in the last year. After 5 accumulative months in lockdown, another world-record for Israel, many people are too tired to resist.
Yet consider the losses taking place. Not only have our health records been sold to a foreign company, but no one should have to expose information about a healthcare decision to a host/hostess at a restaurant, or a security guard at a cultural event to enter. These are violations of privacy. Every time the Green Passport is scanned, it is surveillance. Consider the implications this has for “Houses of Worship.” Likewise, the Green Passport is government interference in the Free Market by dictating to small businesses who they can and cannot serve.

Consequences

The coercive measures have also come in the form of some institutions firing or furloughing employees for refusing the vaccine. Our government even passed legislation that would allow local municipal officials to know who has refused the vaccine to contact them directly.
Fortunately, Israel has an extensive network of Human Rights attorneys who have taken this legislation to the High Court where it was correctly ruled against in light of Israel’s Basic Laws which act similarly to the US Constitution, granting the right of privacy to Israeli citizens.
On the ground, some in our restaurant industry appear to be pushing back as well, either refusing to check Green Passports or setting up only outdoor seating so no one will be discriminated against. In other stories, however, people have been asked to leave or left to sit on sidewalks outside.

Propaganda

The propaganda surrounding this entire situation has been anywhere from silly to outright disturbing. In most cases, it is patronizing caricatures about “anti-vaxxers” being conspiracy theorists who believe fake news and do “research on tik-tok.” This gaslighting effort completely ignores rational and intellectually honest concerns that we do not have controlled studies to address the medium or long-term safety of this mRNA vaccine, particularly when the virus is low risk for most of the population.
In more serious cases, Health Minister, Yuli Edelstein, has outrightly called those who refuse the vaccine “dangerous.” He has done so without criticism from the media or the government. Never mind that this is simply not a scientifically accurate statement, in what other situation would such inciting rhetoric to be allowed?

Unable to “Buy and Sell”

The present circumstances are daunting for many of us. To those who celebrate the efforts at hand, I have to ask: If this is such a human good, why does it take such manipulation, intimidation, and control to implement? As believers, we should know where this is headed. When we are required to have a foreign biological agent injected into our bodies, accompanied by a scannable QR code, to participate in the economy, to “buy and sell,” we are seeing a manifestation of an “Anti-Messiah spirit.” God’s word is not a conspiracy theory. It is the truth. We aren’t there yet, but this is one more step into history unfolding. I just didn’t expect it to happen in Israel like this.