Why Israeli, Palestinian religious leaders ignore coronavirus threat
Muslim and Jewish religious leaders in Israel and the West Bank are both guilty of conducting gatherings and prayers in public despite the coronavirus danger.
![JERUSALEM - MARCH 15: Muslims perform prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque after the Islamic Waqf Department announced to close the enclosed prayer places as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Jerusalem on March 15, 2020. According to the statement, all prayers remain to be held in the [outdoor] courtyard and all doors will be open to worshipers. (Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_large/public/almpics/2020/03/GettyImages-1207229344.jpg/GettyImages-1207229344.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=p-x5pNMt "1207229344")
Epidemics, like other natural disasters, have generated real headaches for religious leaders through history. Especially for the three monotheistic religions, where the concept of a one-only-God prevents believers from putting the blame on bad gods or on the devil. The priests, the rabbis and the imams need to explain why the disaster has happened, and why good people were hurt by God.
Since many of these religious leaders have no clue as to why, some of their answers can be quite dangerous. Behavior adopted by zealots who defy instructions by authorities irritates rational people, who worry about the consequences of such conduct and fear that they will be infected by those who disobey orders.
Still, looking at the larger picture, all this could help bring about important new developments in Israeli-Palestinian relations.
While the No. 1 anti-coronavirus instruction all over the world is “Don't gather, keep a distance of a meter or two from one another, wear masks!’’ the main message of the religious zealots is “Keep praying together. Whatever you try doing will not change anything, because the disaster is a God-given phenomenon, and only begging God may change things for the better.’’
