 The opinion lie, Corks 96 FM. Daniel, thanks for joining us from Israel. A corkman, there are a few years I think now. That's right, PJ. I've been living in Jerusalem now for five years. What took you there in the first place? So I did. There's a there's a kind of a concept called Aliyah, which is basically Jewish people moving out to Israel. So I grew up Jewish in Cork and I guess just kind of felt attracted to somewhere where that was a bit more normal than in Cork, which is, you know, very, very small, non-existing community, almost. Interesting story in itself. So talk to me, Daniel, about life in Israel. We hear all sorts of stories about mass vaccinations, really fast vaccination of huge numbers of people and great results back from the research. So what can you tell us? So yeah, the rollout's definitely been very quick. It kind of got going, you know, quite suddenly. So they're doing it by age group. So I'm 32. My only health concern is asthma. So I was kind of towards the very, very tail end. And at this point, basically, you know, kind of almost everybody has been called in for their for their vaccination. And as you know, it's a two dose vaccination. So I'm between the first and second doses. So so you've already had a job? I have already. I had just number one. And I'm waiting for number two. Right. And how long more have you got to wait for number two? Three weeks between them. So I have another week to next this day. Next week will be the second one. Reading a piece in Bloomberg in the last couple of days, they're saying, look, while the vaccination is going very, very well, it's going to be a very slow return to the economy. Now, I've been in Jerusalem a couple of times. Busy doesn't describe the place. So how has it been safe for the last few months? It's been very, very quiet. So the first, you know, the first lockdown was relatively brief. And then they opened up the pubs again. And that was only I've been I've been to a bar two times in the last year. So growing up in Cork, that should that should tell you how boring it's been. So it's been a very, very long lockdown. And at the moment, what they're doing is if you have this this app, this green passport, you can get into the rolling that out next week. Actually, so they just started opening up shops and museums. But the restaurants and, you know, those kind of places aren't open yet. But it's going to it's going to be that's how they're going to do it. You're going to present this QR code on your phone on a printout. Right. But as to as to how it's been, it's it's been, you know, just incredibly boring. Everything's been essentially shut for the past few months. Was Israel one of the first places actually to go into a second lockdown? Yeah, it was exactly so. It was very it was very quick in. And but, you know, this lockdown has been being very protracted. And it's only been a couple of weeks since it was they started to open stuff up again. Yeah. So say you want to go to a shop or you want to go to a cafe. How does this thing work on your phone? So they've just there it's chaotic is only way to describe it. So I was actually only looking at it this morning because it's not until you've had the second vaccine and then you wait a week that you can actually get the code. So I was just checking it out. And, you know, basically it's tied to your system. So the way it works is there's a few different health funds and every citizen has to be in one of these health organizations. So basically, once you do it, you know, you get a credential and then you download an app. And that's the way they want people to do it is to use the smartphone app. But I was reading that they've, you know, they've created a system for if you want to get the literally a piece of paper in the post, you can do that. So there is going to be ways for everybody to get this code if they want it. And then you're going to show that to a venue and the venue is going to is going to have to use the app as well. So you're going to need to use the app and give that to the venue. So it's all going to be through this system is how it's going to work. So when you're going into somewhere like and you say a venue, say a pub or a concert hall or a theater or wherever you want to go, you will have the app on your phone. They'll have the app on their computers and their app will check your vaccination status and then you go. Is that it? That's pretty much it. And then, if, you know, the people that have had covid are exempt, so there's there's a group of about 77,000. I was reading today that have had it. So therefore they they're not getting the vaccines at all, but they'll also be eligible for the for that status in this app. But it's it's all it's all very, very, very experimentry. The app, the app, the app's a bit of a disaster. The listing in the app store doesn't even say what it does. So, you know, it's basically you can see and I'm sure it's the same in Ireland that, you know, the governments are basically winging this. And trying to do the best managing a very strange situation. So it's it's not as as, you know, amazing as maybe comes across in the news. It is very quick on the vaccination front, but all the details is kind of in a bit of a state of flux at the moment. Yeah, they seem to be. And I suppose we use the term making it up as they go along. But literally, that's what they're doing. They're kind of suck it and see as you go along. Is that it? Yeah, the communication here is being chaotic. You read something in the news that this is going to open. And then two hours later in Facebook, the group is another thing. And then an hour later, there's a different announcement. So that's kind of been the way it's gone. It's been very, very disorganized all over the place, basically, which on the couple of occasions have been there briefly. It's a very technologically advanced country. So therefore to have this kind of randomness, I suppose, about it, that must be strange. Yeah, I think it's just the decision making process has been has been if there's kind of politics and that just kind of bleeds down into the, you know, there's people arguing about these cabinet meetings going until two in the morning and then they leak something and another guy leaks another thing and then just what's actually going on. But it becomes quite hard to to figure out. I think we can all identify with that people leaking stuff and what someone else leaking something else. So I suppose we take some solace from that, Daniel, that our government aren't the only crowd that can't decide who's telling us what and when. Is it the politicians are taking the lead or the scientists? That's a tough question. I mean, yeah, I'd say it's been politically. It's there's been wrangling definitely between the two. So they appointed a coronavirus SAR as they say, which I guess just means someone responsible for it. So they they kind of took it back from from the political realm after a while. And now it seems to be their kind of they've improved that kind of consultation process. So there's both elements involved. What's the mood of the people like? I mean, as I'm sure here was here at home, you'll know that people are just about at the end of their tether at this stage. They're looking for something positive to come out from the authorities to kind of reassure them that it will be OK. And to a certain extent, the government is losing the room here. What's it like in Jerusalem these days? Yeah, it's that sounds that sounds pretty similar. So it's there's a there's a festival religious festival called Purim. And that's now actually like to as we're speaking here. So that's usually sort of a big drinking festival. I mean, potentially the closest thing I could compare it to would be Patrick's Day. So like, you know, if you think of the Patrick's Day Parade being cancelled, people were not very happy about that. So it's kind of the same that there's a curfew currently and you have to be within a thousand meters of your house between basically overnight. I don't know the exact times. It's like eight o'clock and a half, five in the morning. So that's that's so basically this this kind of highlight of the year. Jerusalem wouldn't be the biggest, you know, drinking city, but there there is a great public parade once a year for this festival. And that's basically gone out the window. So obviously, that kind of thing isn't fun. So there is a sense of there is light at the end of the tunnel because the vaccines are happening and the campaigns in progress. But, you know, ultimately, people, including me, have been basically at home for a year and that kind of gets to people to say the least. And do you live alone or have people living with you? I live with my wife. So it's just the two of us in an apartment. So the perfect, perfect recipe for for cabin fever. Talk about quarantine with regard to to Israel. I mean, entering Israel, you've got to have your paperwork straight anyway, no matter where you come from any time of the year. But what's it been like quarantine wise? Is it mandatory for people for people coming to the country? If you're leaving, so at the moment, they've basically closed down the the airport and they're just looking at opening it up again to flights. And even people, there are people abroad that they're they're putting on these rescue flights to bring them in. So the airport's been there's only one airport, essentially, it's a bus. There is another one, but it's, you know, Ben Gorion is basically kind of serves the whole country. So yeah, when when that's closed, there's kind of really no way in and no way out, practically speaking. So how long has that been closed? Now, it's been closed now for for a while. It's, you know, a couple of weeks. So yeah, it's it's it's kind of a strange feeling when you're reading these posts on social media that people are applying for for emergency permits to leave the country and that kind of thing. It feels it feels like the the matrix or something like if you wanted to get back to Carp now for some reason, would they let you out? Or more importantly, would they let you back in? It could it could be complicated. So there is there is there is a system for applying for these these kind of passes to get rain, but obviously then you need a flight to be put on. So I think I think it would be hard. And then of course, there is the the whole thing on the Irish side. So I haven't been back actually since the since the pandemic kicked off kind of for this well actually mostly because I just didn't want to to risk the the trip. There is no direct flight. So I didn't think it was worth, you know, three airplane journeys each way. I'm sure you'll know, Daniel, from growing up in Cork, that there's a lot of sympathy and there will be a lot of sympathy among my listeners for the Palestinian cause. And there was a rumor going around on various news sites over the last few weeks that Palestinian people weren't being given vaccines, that it was being held back from them. Now, you're there in in Jerusalem, right in the heart of all of this. What is happening that you can see? So they I was reading today that there are some vaccines going to the Palestinian authority and to other governments in the in the neighborhood. So there it didn't specify the quantity. I'm not I think the basic the basic issue is that the the Palestinian authority, which is which is called, you know, the P.A. is sort of its own entity within Israel. Obviously, there is the West Bank and you're really just talking about cities and the Gaza Strip and they have under the Oslo Accords, I think are supposed to have sovereignty for their situation. And they're they're getting their own supply in that was that's been my understanding of sort of what's going on. So I'm not sure it's it's it's it's so much the case that they're being held back, then they are getting it themselves or they're supposed to be getting it themselves, but they're not they haven't managed to to to get it in as quickly as as Israel has, I think. A lot of people would cross a course from Palestinian territory into Israeli territory every day for work and for other things. Have people who work, have Palestinian people who work, say they're in Jerusalem in the Israeli side? Have they been getting vaccines as part of their work? So, yeah, I mean, the status of of East Jerusalem is very interesting. So they're sort of a permanent residence, but many of them would have access to to Israeli health care. So they would have been vaccinated. So the ones that are kind of stuck in a sort of limbo are the Palestinians living in, let's say Bethlehem and Ramallah. So those are basically full Palestinian cities and their government as such is the PA. So their health care is provided through them as well. So there is a difference between someone living in Jerusalem and they would have got the vaccine at the same time as I did basically versus somebody just living, you know, 10 kilometers down the road in Ramallah. So it's it's it's a very, very strange situation. Coming back to where we started though, Daniel, before I let you go, I think the message coming very clearly from you is, look, there's a lot of exciting things happening in Israel, but it's not to be all an end all that you might be reading about in the newspaper. I think there's, you know, I don't I don't want to promote my my blog on your show, but this is what you said is a very it kind of gets to a very interesting dynamic about Israel. So I wrote a post a post about this, like there is this very, very strange thing that you wouldn't really get unless you live here. This weird, very, very high tech in some respects, but they also use the fax machine like crazy here. One of the last countries in the world. So yeah, it's in some respects, you know, Israel, I think really exports a lot of its high tech is like like Ireland, it's a small country, small market. So it's not always a case that, you know, the and there's there is definitely a tendency to kind of big up and boast about achievements. So I think they have done a great job in terms of getting that this whole vaccine drive set up very quickly. And if you think about Israel with its army and all that, they kind of they have a good handle on logistics. Did they use the army to vaccinate? Because I know everybody has to serve at some stage. Did they use the army to vaccinate people? Not not to a large extent from what I'm aware. It's the health funds and they're using, you know, first aid people and doctors and nurses is kind of all a bunch of health care people. And they're not the vaccine centres are they're using in Jerusalem a big sports centre. So it's a bit odd you go into, you know, a basketball arena and that's where you're getting your your job. But yes, so they have they have they have done that well. But, you know, on the ground, I would say, you know, there's I see people posting on Facebook saying I'm trying to download this app they're talking about how the hell do I get it from Google? And there's just confusion. So yeah, it's a mixture of it's working well and it's kind of chaos at the same time. So let us know what your blog is so we can keep an eye. Sure. If you if you if you check Daniel Rosehill on medium, I think I think I wrote some just some some post about that recently. All right. It's good to talk to you. Take care. Thanks, PJ. As Daniel Rosehill from Cork in Jerusalem, Cork's 96 FM.