Cabinet delays decision on virus rules; Netanyahu pans farce
Sept 23, 2020 15:56:38 GMT -5
Post by shalom on Sept 23, 2020 15:56:38 GMT -5
Look like they're pulling the same nonsense they are here in the US - protests are allowed, going to synagogue isn't.
Cabinet delays decision on new virus rules as Netanyahu pans protest ‘farce’
Ministers adjourn meeting without compromise on limiting mass demonstrations, synagogues; Haredi minister threatens to resign if restrictions placed on prayer but not on protests
By TOI STAFF
22 September 2020, 11:41 pm 7
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the weekly demonstrations against him as a health hazard at Tuesday’s coronavirus cabinet meeting, during which ministers failed to reach an agreement on stricter lockdown measures that would limit those rallies as well as public prayer.
Instead ministers agreed to convene a task force to study limiting both prayer gatherings and protests, giving the group some 12 hours before presenting its findings Wednesday morning.
While indoor prayers have been curtailed, and may face drastically stricter restrictions, outdoor protests have been allowed to continue with few limits, leading some to question the guidelines.
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“For a long time I refrained from commenting on the issue, but after I heard the experts say that gatherings are a huge risk to public health, it’s my obligation to address it,” Netanyahu said in comments leaked from the meeting. “The entire public is required to comply with the rules and only a group of protesters is exempt.”
The protests, held several times weekly outside Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence, have not been curtailed despite the lockdown that began on Friday. The attorney general has laid out rules to spread out protesters during the rallies into “capsules,” but they did not appear to be implemented during Sunday night’s protest, which drew thousands.
“You can go to the Western Wall only if you live within 1,000 meters, but to Balfour [Street, where the PM’s residence is located], you can come from around the country,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying. “This farce must end. This is an emergency and we must have one rule for both prayer and protests and all other gatherings. Otherwise, the public won’t listen to the rules and we will see the infection rate reach terrible levels.”
Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside his official residence in Jerusalem, September 20, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
The cabinet gathered to consider further tightening coronavirus closure measures just five days after kicking off a three-week lockdown that shuttered schools and many businesses, along with other restrictions.
Amid fears that the healthcare system will be overwhelmed by new serious COVID-19 cases in the coming days, Hebrew media reported that the new restrictions to be considered include further limiting attendance at workplaces; closing synagogues and placing new limitations on public prayers; and shutting all markets, including those selling “four species” plants for the Sukkot holiday.
The lockdown period covers the High Holidays, including next week’s Yom Kippur fast, a peak day for synagogue attendance.
According to television reports Tuesday evening, Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri sought to limit demonstrations under the emerging new regulations, over the objections of some ministers from the centrist Blue and White party.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Netanyahu and Deri demanded that there be a single standard for all gatherings, including protests and synagogue prayers over Yom Kippur. If there isn’t parity in the guidelines, the two men reportedly warned, religious Israelis will not heed the rules.
Full article at link
Cabinet delays decision on new virus rules as Netanyahu pans protest ‘farce’
Ministers adjourn meeting without compromise on limiting mass demonstrations, synagogues; Haredi minister threatens to resign if restrictions placed on prayer but not on protests
By TOI STAFF
22 September 2020, 11:41 pm 7
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the weekly demonstrations against him as a health hazard at Tuesday’s coronavirus cabinet meeting, during which ministers failed to reach an agreement on stricter lockdown measures that would limit those rallies as well as public prayer.
Instead ministers agreed to convene a task force to study limiting both prayer gatherings and protests, giving the group some 12 hours before presenting its findings Wednesday morning.
While indoor prayers have been curtailed, and may face drastically stricter restrictions, outdoor protests have been allowed to continue with few limits, leading some to question the guidelines.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP
“For a long time I refrained from commenting on the issue, but after I heard the experts say that gatherings are a huge risk to public health, it’s my obligation to address it,” Netanyahu said in comments leaked from the meeting. “The entire public is required to comply with the rules and only a group of protesters is exempt.”
The protests, held several times weekly outside Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence, have not been curtailed despite the lockdown that began on Friday. The attorney general has laid out rules to spread out protesters during the rallies into “capsules,” but they did not appear to be implemented during Sunday night’s protest, which drew thousands.
“You can go to the Western Wall only if you live within 1,000 meters, but to Balfour [Street, where the PM’s residence is located], you can come from around the country,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying. “This farce must end. This is an emergency and we must have one rule for both prayer and protests and all other gatherings. Otherwise, the public won’t listen to the rules and we will see the infection rate reach terrible levels.”
Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside his official residence in Jerusalem, September 20, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
The cabinet gathered to consider further tightening coronavirus closure measures just five days after kicking off a three-week lockdown that shuttered schools and many businesses, along with other restrictions.
Amid fears that the healthcare system will be overwhelmed by new serious COVID-19 cases in the coming days, Hebrew media reported that the new restrictions to be considered include further limiting attendance at workplaces; closing synagogues and placing new limitations on public prayers; and shutting all markets, including those selling “four species” plants for the Sukkot holiday.
The lockdown period covers the High Holidays, including next week’s Yom Kippur fast, a peak day for synagogue attendance.
According to television reports Tuesday evening, Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri sought to limit demonstrations under the emerging new regulations, over the objections of some ministers from the centrist Blue and White party.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Netanyahu and Deri demanded that there be a single standard for all gatherings, including protests and synagogue prayers over Yom Kippur. If there isn’t parity in the guidelines, the two men reportedly warned, religious Israelis will not heed the rules.
Full article at link