- [Chris] Israel recently celebrated

their four millionth Israeli

to get their first vaccination shot.

Out of that four million,

nearly three million have had both shots.

That's quite anaccomplishment for a country

of just over nine million citizens.

Israel has seen morethan 700,000 COVID cases

and 5,400 deaths.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

worries misinformationis keeping many Israelis

from lining up for the shot.

- [Interpreter] The onlything that currently prevents

the completion of thisvaccination process is fake news

and the superstitious andsometimes malicious beliefs

that are planted among the public

and on the internet and other places.

Don't believe them.

- [Chris] In an effortto increase numbers,

Netanyahu wants legislationthat would provide the names

of those not vaccinatedto local governments.

Health Minister Yuli Edelsteinadvocates allowing employers

to prevent the unvaccinatedcitizens from coming to work.

They face major pushbackas so-called anti-vaxxers

use posters and the webto spread messages like:

You're experimented on like lab rats.

The vaccine is a death shot.

The government counters withposters like this, which reads:

False information and lies and dangerous.

- People in the emergency fake news room,

they are monitoring social media.

The moment they see a fake news,

they transfer the informationto the cyber department

in the Ministry of Justice.

- [Chris] While thegovernment is monitoring

and censoring socialmedia, a number of Israelis

remain convinced thevaccinations are not safe.

- This whole thing, it'sresearch, an experiment,

with unknown side effects.

It's not like taking todayand measles or flu vaccine.

This is a totally newdrug, new technology.

- [Chris] On Sunday, thegovernment will enforce

new regulations, stopping theunvaccinated from using gyms,

attending sporting events,or going to a hotel.

Israelis completing thetwo-step vaccination process

will be issued a new green passport

that will permit themaccess to those same venues.

(man shouting in foreign language)

About 2,000 rallied in Tel Aviv this week,

not to protest the vaccinebut for the freedom to choose

whether or not to take it.

- This has raised a bit of a dilemma,

which is: How should society,

how should the government relate to people

who have not been inoculated or vaccinated

or who refuse to do so?

- [Chris] Commentator andcolumnist Michael Freund says

the growing fight over public health

versus individual privacy andfreedom could soon boil over.

- One that I thinkevery Western democracy,

at some point or another, has to confront.

- [Chris] Israel becomesone of the world's

first democracies to reach thisstage in the pandemic fight.

What's more important,

protecting public safety withstrict vaccination measures,

or preserving the beliefs, rights,

and freedoms of its citizens?

Chris Mitchell, CBN News.