Israeli politicians argue over Covid curbs on protests and prayers

Israeli politicians are considering whether to tighten an already paralysing second coronavirus lockdown by bringing in controversial measures to limit people’s ability to protest and pray together.

Life in the country of 9 million ground to a halt on Sunday night and into Monday for Yom Kippur, the annual Jewish Day of Atonement when much of the country shuts down, with people fasting for 25 hours, TV and radio stations going silent, and large sections of secular society forgoing driving and turning off their phones.

With the country recording some of the highest per capita daily infection rates in the world, Israel is grappling with concerns that both the government and society could have done more to halt the spread of the virus. In his Yom Kippur message, the president, Reuven Rivlin, asked for forgiveness for the 1,441 Covid-19 deaths so far.

“May we be forgiven for the sin of weakness and inability, for not doing enough, for not managing to save them. Because of that, lives were lost,” Rivlin said before sundown on Sunday, when the holiday began.

In previous years, the empty roads and shuttered markets on Yom Kippur presented a stark contrast to daily life, but in 2020 the impact was noticeably dampened. A three-week lockdown imposed this month has forced all non-essential businesses to close and limited people to remaining within a 1km radius of their homes.

Coronavirus cases in Israel — graph

The day presented only a temporary and brief pause for fierce arguments over the government’s tightening grip over even the most fundamental aspects of people’s lives – free expression and worship. On Tuesday, it hopes to finalise legislation banning large demonstrations and measures to shut synagogues.

Opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu have accused the prime minister of exploiting the health crisis to end months of rallies calling for him to resign, with thousands gathering weekly in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to voice their anger over his handling of the pandemic as well as charges of alleged corruption.

The 70-year-old leader failed to have the necessary legislation passed by lawmakers last week that would have limited protests to groups of no more than 20 people.

Without the ban in place, thousands turned out on Saturday night. Referring to Netanyahu’s corruption allegations – which he denies – protesters chanted “disgrace” and “thou shalt not steal”, quoting the Ten Commandments ahead of Yom Kippur. One large banner accused Netanyahu of using a “White House laundromat”, a reference to reports he takes dirty laundry on state trips for free dry cleaning.

The health minister and Netanyahu ally, Yuli Edelstein, accused the protesters of “endangering their health and the health of those around them”. He added: “On Tuesday, we will finish legislating and the protests will be limited.”

Saturday’s daily infections tally broke previous records, with more than 9,000 new coronavirus cases.

It remains unclear whether parliament will approve the ban on demonstrations. Netanyahu’s political rival turned unity government partner, Benny Gantz, backs the new restrictions but has stymied the prime minister’s attempts to implement them by enacting emergency powers.

Proposed restrictions on prayer have been no less controversial. Resentment across the country has not just focused on government, but also on each other, with notable ire between secular and religious sections of society.

Parts of secular Israel accuse the ultra-Orthodox minority of allowing the virus to spread by continuing to hold mass gatherings in religious schools and synagogues, and point to some rabbis who have ignored the rules. An editorial on an ultra-Orthodox news website said closing synagogues on Yom Kippur would be “a declaration of war on God”.

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However, many deeply religious Israelis believe they are being unfairly targeted and point to the fact that ultra-Orthodox communities often live in poor, congested areas where infections can spread rapidly.

Ahead of Yom Kippur, Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying he had spoken to the country’s chief rabbis, who called for prayers to be “held outdoors and should be short”.