He said Bar Siman Tov, who as the ministry’s director general should be leading this process, is instead collaborating with Netanyahu and stifling anyone opposed to Netanyahu’s approach.

Since Bar Siman Tov has no medical training, the ministry’s top medical authority is its deputy director general, Prof. Itamar Grotto. Its other key official is Dr. Boaz Lev, a former director general at the ministry who now heads its epidemic task force.

But anyone talking to these two men in recent days has had trouble getting clear answers. The reason, according to Health Ministry sources, is that they don’t know the answers because the decisions are being made without them.