Chinese ambassador to Israel compares coronavirus bans to Holocaust
‘Many Jewish were refused when they tried to seek assistance from other countries. Only very, very few countries opened their door, and among them is China’
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Your support makes all the difference.China’s acting ambassador to Israel has compared the entry bans on Chinese citizens to some countries amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak to the Holocaust, prompting an apology from the Chinese Embassy.
At a press conference in Tel Aviv, Dai Yuming told reporters that the “errors to limit or even ban entries of Chinese citizens” reminded him of “the old days, the old stories that happened in World War Two, the Holocaust, the darkest days in human history”.
Dai said: “Millions of Jewish were killed, and many, many Jewish were refused when they tried to seek assistance from other countries.
“Only very, very few countries opened their door, and among them is China.”
Israel halted direct flights to China on Thursday, and its health ministry authorised border control agents to deny entry to non-Israelis who have visited China in the past 14 days.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers on Sunday the country had “closed land crossings, seaports and airport arrivals from China” temporarily.
“We are also updating the Palestinian Authority on all preventive steps and public health measures that they must take into account here as well,” he said.
If an Israeli citizen returns from China, the government has instructed them to quarantine themselves at home for two weeks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The Chinese Embassy in Israel later issued a statement and said: “There was no intention whatsoever to compare the dark days of the Holocaust with the current situation and the effort taken by the Israeli government to protect its citizens.
“We would like to apologise if someone understood our message the wrong way,” the embassy added.
The global fallout from the coronavirus outbreak has seen numerous nations, including the US, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and others imposing stringent travel restrictions on people travelling from China in an effort to contain the disease.
In China, the virus has killed more than 300 people, and the global tally of those infected has passed 17,000.
As the country faces mounting isolation, Chinese authorities have complained that the international community, especially the US, had “unceasingly manufactured and spread panic” by evacuating its nationals and restricting travel instead of offering aid.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on Monday: “It is precisely developed countries like the United States with strong epidemic prevention capabilities and facilities that have taken the lead in imposing excessive restrictions contrary to WHO recommendations.
The World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency but said travel bans were unnecessary.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the organisation’s executive board in Geneva: “There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade.
“We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent.”
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