Israel’s cabinet ministers on Wednesday night approved the extension of the country’s lockdown until October 14, three days later than originally planned and four days after the end of the holidays.
Speaking of holidays, the cabinet issued one new rule prohibiting a person from staying in the sukkah of others, punishable by a fine of NIS 500 ($146).
The vote was held among the ministers over the phone after they had been told that “in view of the morbidity and the number of serious patients, which is increasing daily, it is necessary to continue to take significant steps to reduce the morbidity data for a period of at least two weeks.”
Blue&White ministers Assaf Zamir, Yizhar Shai, and Orit Farkash-Hacohen voted against the decision.
The same phone poll also approved a restriction on leaving the house up to a distance of 1,000 meters for the purpose of participating in a demonstration, prayer service, or any similar purpose.
As of Thursday morning, there are 810 sever coronavirus patients in Israel, of whom 206 are on respirators. 8,919 new patients were diagnosed on Wednesday. There have been 1,571 deaths in Israel since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Restrictions on public space gatherings have not changed, and they remain at a maximum of 20 people. The synagogues will remain closed until after Simchat Torah.
The government approved the restriction of demonstrations to a distance of up to a kilometer from one’s home and only in groups of up to 20 people, as goes for any gathering in the public space. This restriction on political speech was made possible by the Knesset’s amendment of the Corona Act on Tuesday night.
Hundreds of people demonstrated on Wednesday night in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem against Netanyahu over the restrictions. They marched in Jerusalem and blocked streets and roads. The police cleared the roads and allowed them to march around the city. Dozens later gathered in front of the prime minister’s residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem.
Despite the government’s decision against demonstrations, another demonstration will take place in Tel Aviv Thursday evening.
Six demonstrators were arrested and detained for assaulting police officers and interfering with the performance of their duties in a procession in Tel Aviv and in a demonstration against the prime minister in Jerusalem.
Police said the march in Tel Aviv was conducted in violation of the guidelines, without keeping social distance and without facemasks, but according to police, it was impossible to hand out summonses amid the commotion.
The revised regulations authorize police officers to use force to prevent a person from leaving his home town. This amendment was accompanied by an explanatory note that stated: “Without the authority to prevent the exit from the locality in situations where it is prohibited, it will only be possible to impose a fine but not to prevent the exit itself. In order to exercise authority in cases where leaving the locality is prohibited, permission to use force is required. It should be clarified that the exercise of all powers, including the power to use force, is subject to the rules of reasonableness and proportionality.”
You haven’t been subdued until you’ve been subdued by a reasonable and proportionate cop.
The amendment’s note also clarified that the authority to use force is valid for the time of a full lockdown only.
A statement issued by the Tel Aviv Police on Thursday reads: “Although this is an illegal procession, the police showed restraint and allowed the procession to take place, protecting its participants and accompanying it along the procession route. During the event, some of the participants in the procession violently disregarded the public order and also interfered with the police in the performance of their duties and even attacked some of the police officers.”
Send more reasonable and proportionate violent demonstrators.
According to Kan 11, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is inclined to approve the ban on demonstrations, even when it comes to a convoy of vehicles where the angry protesters remain inside their cars. The AG appears to accept the positions of the police and the Health Ministry who argue that the convoys could be a slippery slope leading to the circumvention of the rules, which could create a problem in enforcing the guidelines.
During the Corona Cabinet’s meeting Wednesday, which included a shouting match between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz, the former proposed reducing the allowable distance from one’s home from one kilometer to 200 meters.
Netanyahu also said it’s conceivable that the full return to a normal routine will take half a year to a year, and that suspending the lockdown will be slower this time.
According to data presented by Corona Czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu to the ministers on Wednesday, the majority of Israelis who tested positive as of Tuesday are men ages 17 to 24, followed by children and adolescents aged 10 to 16.
Gamzu noted that there are about 2,300 yeshiva students infected by the virus – out of 32,000 yeshiva students who are monitored by the Health Ministry. There are also an estimated 15,000 students in 361 yeshivas who are not included in the overall count and no one how many of them became infected and where they are.
Haaretz reported this week that tens of thousands of Haredi students went on vacation after Yom Kippur without testing negative for the coronavirus first, as had been agreed with their yeshivas.