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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly said that he will not block efforts to allow anti-government protests to resume without the coronavirus restrictions that have prevented mass demonstrations from taking place in recent weeks.
Speaking to ministers in closed meetings on Sunday, Netanyahu said he would not push for the emergency measures to be extended and would allow the protests to resume, the Hebrew media reported.
Shortly before those reports came to light, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that his Blue and White party would not approve the extension of the government’s emergency powers when they expire on Wednesday, allowing mass protests against Netanyahu to break down. carried out without hindrance.
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“All of this is on the condition that morbidity trends continue to decline,” he said in a video statement, insisting that restrictions should be lifted so that small, non-customer-oriented businesses can open this week.
While welcoming the decline in new coronavirus cases, Gantz acknowledged the “high price” paid by Israelis during the current lockdown, which includes radical restrictions on business, meetings, movement and the education system.
Israel imposed a nationwide blockade ahead of the High Holidays last month to curb a growing coronavirus outbreak. The Knesset passed a law last week that allows the government to declare a special week-long state of emergency to limit participation in assemblies due to the pandemic. The government then declared a state of emergency, limiting all public gatherings to one kilometer (half a mile) from a person’s home.
Netanyahu has said the restrictions are driven by security concerns as the country battles an out-of-control pandemic, but critics and protesters accuse him of tightening the blockade to stifle dissent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu taking a 15-minute coronavirus test, October 6, 2020 (Kobi Gideon / GPO)
The protest ban appears to have further motivated protesters, with tens of thousands of protesters across the country last week.
Israel was initially praised for its swift imposition of restrictions in February to curb the spread of the coronavirus. But after the economy and schools reopened in May, new cases spiked rapidly and have skyrocketed to one of the highest per capita in the world.
After nearly three weeks of lockdown, the number of new cases per day is gradually decreasing, but infections are still spreading, particularly among the most affected ultra-Orthodox community.
Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu said that while there are signs that the restrictions are reducing infection rates, “we need a few more days to consider” facilitating the shutdown.
Defending the blockade, Netanyahu said it “saved us from a geometric increase in morbidity, mortality and seriously ill people,” but cautioned that it was too early to believe that the fight against COVID-19 was over.
When the restrictions are lifted, Netanyahu said, “we will open businesses with up to 10 employees who do not receive customers. [in person], we will open preschools “. However, he emphasized that” we will do it gradually in different stages, with caution and with clear measures to move from one stage to another. “
Netanyahu called on the Israelis to continue to adhere to the virus’s restrictions.
“If we act correctly, we will defeat the disease,” he declared.
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