Israel’s lockdown could last ‘much longer than a month’ as mass protests banned

Israeli hospital uses parking lot as ward to treat COVID-19 patients

Credit: Reuters

Israel’s second lockdown could last for much longer than a month, the prime minister has warned, as the Israeli parliament approved a controversial ban on mass protests against the government in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. 

“I have to tell you honestly, it won’t be less than a month, and it might take much longer,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in an online broadcast this week, dashing hopes that schools and businesses will be allowed to reopen shortly. 

Israel imposed its second nationwide lockdown earlier this month to tackle a rapidly growing infection rate that has seen up to 8,000 people being infected with the virus per day.  At that time, it was hoped that the restrictions would only be in place for three weeks. 

Meanwhile the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, has passed a law designed to help slow the spread of the virus by limiting public gatherings to no more than 20 people. 

In effect, the law will ban the mass protests that have been taking place outside Mr Netanyahu’s residence each weekend, which frequently draw thousands of demonstrators. 

Instead, protesters must stay within a 1,000 yard radius of their homes and will be restricted to small groups. The same rules will apply to group prayers as the Jewish holiday of Sukkot approaches. 

Meir Cohen, from the main opposition party Yesh Atid-Telem, condemned the new curbs on demonstrations as a "slippery slope". 

Anti-government protests in Israel will be restricted by the new rules

Credit: Reuters

And Yair Golan of the leftwing Meretz party warned that the new law "won’t stop the demonstrations." "The anger growing in the streets will find its way out," he added.

The Black Flag group, one of the lead organisers of the protests against Mr Netanyahu, said the new rules were a cynical bid to use the pandemic as an excuse to stamp out dissent. 

“The Netanyahu police continues with its relentless violence against anyone who doesn’t support the Netanyahu regime,” it said in a statement. 

“Blue and White needs to watch these images and understand the enormity of this moment,” it added, referring to one of the parties in Israel’s unity government. 

“Netanyahu is trying to violently crush democracy. This is the time to stop him.”

The protesters have called on Mr Netanyahu to resign over his ongoing corruption trial as well as failures to protect the economy from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Unemployment in the Jewish state rose to unprecedented levels after the first lockdown in March. 

The overall death toll currently stands at more than 1,500 while some 230,000 people have been infected since the start of the outbreak.