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The changes begin from this weekend, which in Israel begins on Friday afternoon, the eve of Jewish Saturday, and lasts until Sunday, the first business day of the week. The nurseries will remain open, although closures were being considered.
Israel Radio reported that full blockades could be imposed, with people once again confined to their homes, starting next weekend, after parliamentary approval.
During the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government’s objective was to stop the meetings of people, but added that the new steps may not be “scientific”.
Yair Lapid, the opposition chief, criticized the partial shutdown, saying it was confusing and not based on evidence. “An entire country is trying to understand why decisions are made in the middle of the night without any data and cannot,” he tweeted on Twitter on Friday.
The 9 million country was initially praised for a rapid shutdown in March that was attributed to reducing daily infections to single digits. However, public health officials and officials say the economy reopened too hastily and that the necessary measures were not taken to control the pandemic.
With more than one in five Israelis unemployed, Netanyahu has faced mounting public anger at his handling of the crisis, with thousands of protesters holding frequent protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, some of whom have been dispersed by police.
The Israeli leader is also battling three corruption charges, including charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, charges he denies and dismisses as part of a politically motivated witch hunt.
Outside his Jerusalem residence Thursday night, several hundred people played drums and honked horns, calling for the resignation of Israel’s oldest leader. Some wore masks with “crime minister” written on them.
Noam Arnonovitch, 32, who lives in Tel Aviv, said he had been looking for a job for a few months while working part-time in bars.
“I came because I think there is something very wrong with our political culture in Israel,” he said, complaining about what he said was a destructive speech by the government against us.
“I think that now, due to the extreme of the situation that we have reached, people are really fed up and we are beginning to feel it in our pockets, in our refrigerators and in our general sense of security.”
Another protester, Aramit Lotem, said Netanyahu had painted dissident voices as those of traitors. “It is not just the virus,” said the 61-year-old Jerusalem resident. “The virus is really a good opportunity for Netanyahu to manipulate our freedom.”
In a close counter-demonstration of a dozen people, one person said he had come to protest against “the anarchists”. He accused the anti-Netanyahu camp of organizing violent demonstrations. “I think if you want to change the leader, it’s on a vote.”
On Wednesday, Netanyahu had unveiled a package of 6 billion shekel (£ 1.4 billion), with payments of up to £ 175 for individuals, increasing to almost £ 700 for families, arguing that it would increase spending and “make the economy to move faster. “
The plan, which needs cabinet approval, was quickly rejected by top officials, including government ministers, who said the money should be directed to the poorest citizens. A prominent Israeli columnist, Ben Caspit, accused the leader of “handing bribes to the masses” to appease national discontent.
A survey by the Israel Democracy Institute expert group this week found that only about 30% of the public trusted Netanyahu’s response to the pandemic.
However, other polls have shown that his ruling Likud party remains the most popular in the country, even if slightly fewer people would vote for him.
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