Binyamin Netanyahu boasted too soon of defeating the coronavirus

GO OUT, GETThe Economist Today a coffee, have a beer, said Binyamin Netanyahu. “First of all, have fun.” That was two months ago, after nearly eight weeks of lockdown, when Israel’s prime minister thought he had all but beaten covid-19. Mr Netanyahu led the fight, refusing to delegate authority and holding daily briefings full of alarmism and braggadocio. “So far we’ve done it better than nearly any other country in the world and I assess that by the end of this we will be the best in the world,” he said in March. “Other countries are adopting the steps we took.”