A coronavirus scare in a Givatayim mall erupted into a political spat on Sunday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger Benny Gantz accusing each other of rumor-mongering in a bid to sway votes a day before the third national election in less than a year.
After shoppers rushed out of the upper stories of the mall after a man came to a medical clinic there complaining of ill health.
3 View gallery
Blue & White leaders Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi visit Givatayim mall after a coronavirus scare there, March 1, 2020
(Photo: Twitter )
Gantz, a centrist ex-IDF chief and the right-wing Netanyahu's main challenger in Monday's election, visited the mall with Blue & White colleague Gabi Ashkenazi, another former head of the Israeli army.
In the mall, Gantz accused "propagandists" from the ruling Likud party of seeking to play up the coronavirus scare online.
"Givatayim is a stronghold of Blue and White," Gantz said, referring to his own party.
"[Netanyahu] plans to disrupt Election Day, to disseminate fake news anywhere that is identified with Blue and White in order to keep you home," Gantz said.
Netanyahu responded by retweeting a Likud post that described Gantz as "talking nonsense."
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, also of Likud, said the premier had ordered the security services last week to "do their utmost" to prevent coronavirus rumor-mongering around the election.
"Here's another example of Benny Gantz himself spreading fake news," Erdan told Army Radio, accusing the challenger of "looking for excuses" for a poor campaign.
The Health Ministry said the man, who had returned to Israel from the United States via Italy, was undergoing testing. The mall could continue with business as usual, the ministry said.
Israel has reported seven coronavirus cases and moved to head off contagions by turning back visitors from some affected countries and advising its own citizens not to travel abroad.
A poll aired on the N12 TV news on Saturday found that 7% of Israeli voters were considering staying at home on Monday due to coronavirus worries.
The Central Elections Committee has set up special polling booths for the hundreds of voters quarantined on suspicion of a coronavirus infection.