All the Israeli media focus on Memorial Day, reporting that due to coronavirus services and ceremonies will be held without any members of the public in attendance. President Reuven Rivlin spoke at the traditional ceremony at the Western Wall last night, addressing the families of the fallen he said, “you do not need Memorial Day, to remember. You have so many more days, so many more nights, all year. This day is for us. So that we can, even just for a minute, know the names and the faces, the lives and the stories of the men and women of this country, of your loved ones. So that we can remember and be reminded of the two promises that are the basis of the Israeli covenant: to build by the sweat of our brow a life worth living, one that is peaceful and safe for our children, and to bring them home whatever the cost, even if they did not return from battle. This year, we cannot cry together, this year we cannot look each other in the eye, but we remember these two promises. We will remember and be reminded, and we will feel fully, even this year, the inconceivable price we must pay so that these promises are kept.” Kan Radio News reports a total of 23,816 people have died in Israel’s battles since 1860. Forty-two new names were added to that list in the past year. Thirty-three people who succumbed to injuries and died in the course of this past year and were recognized as IDF fallen. A total of 4,166 civilians have been killed in hostile operations. Only one name, that of Rina Shnerb, was added to that list in the course of the past year. She was killed in a terror attack at a spring near the settlement Dolev in August.

All the media note that ahead of Independence Day tomorrow there will be lockdown across the country to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The public will only be permitted to leave home to buy medicine and basic necessities from 5:00pm today through 10:00pm tomorrow evening. All public transportation will be suspended for the duration of the holiday, and grocery stores will be closed as well. This morning there are 15,589 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Israel, while 208 patients have died. There are 126 people in serious condition of them, 94 of which are on ventilators.  Although the number of coronavirus patients continues to rise, the rate of infections is decreasing steadily allowing Israel to lift restrictions after Independence Day. Maariv reports that after a month a half of no school, the cabinet decided yesterday to reopen schools on Sunday, subject to an assessment of the situation on Friday. According to the Education Ministry, nursery schools, kindergartens, and grades 1-3 will be held with classes split into groups averaging 15 children. With this model, the children will not attend every day, breaktime will be planned in such a way as to avoid crowds in the playground.  The paper also reports that the Knesset will soon vote on the request to expand the financial plan beyond NIS 80 billion (£18.4 billion), to include a programme to return people back to the labour force.  Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon is quoted saying, “The economy should be opened gradually… We must create a sense of certainty for the economy. We see that opening stores decreased the economic and social pressure dramatically. The Israeli economy sacrificed a great deal for the sake of acting conservatively.”

Yediot Ahronot highlights the enmity between Yair Lapid and his former partner, Benny Gantz. Lapid told a parliamentary committee yesterday that “If Netanyahu wants to cancel the alternating premiership arrangement with Gantz—I’ll support him. The Likud bloc has 59 MKs and we have 16 MKs. In total, that’s 75. At any given moment, when Bibi doesn’t feel like upholding the alternating premiership arrangement, all he needs to do is to come to me….we’ll say yes.” A senior Blue and White official responded saying: “Lapid has gone off the rails. He’s motivated by personal vengeance.” Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman, who is considered to be one of Lapid’s most trusted partners in the opposition, said that he couldn’t believe his ears when he heard Lapid’s remarks. Liberman wrote on Twitter: “I was surprised to hear Lapid’s declaration about saving Netanyahu. I hope that that was either said jokingly or was taken out of context.” Lapid replied: “I have no intention of saving Bibi. The one who saved him is Gantz. If, after the coronavirus [crisis is over], we have an opportunity to bring down the government—obviously, we’re going to bring it down.” The committee approved the proposed amendment yesterday to allow for the alternating premiership arrangement between Netanyahu and Gantz. The amendment is to be voted on in its first reading on Thursday. The proposed amendment allows for Netanyahu and Gantz to be sworn-in to office simultaneously.