Israelis who oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic demonstrated across the country on Saturday night, despite new restrictions on public meetings.
In Tel Aviv, protesters conducted several simultaneous marches in other parts of the Mediterranean city facing the sea, an AFP photographer said.
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Protesters gave the impression that they were wearing protective masks, but one policewoman said they were deliberately violating social est breach regulations and restricting numbers.
Police did not give an estimate of the number of people involved.
On Wednesday, Parliament passed a protest law as a component of a coronavirus-related state of emergency, which critics say aims to silence protests against Netanyahu.
On Friday, Tourism Minister Asaf Zamir of centrist Kakhol Lavan resigned from Netanyahu’s coalition government due to restrictions.
Announcing his resolution on Twitter, he said Netanyahu was more involved in his ongoing corruption trial and the development of public protests than in addressing a momentary wave of COVID-19.
“I don’t need to put up with another minute with a truth restricting the right to protest,” he wrote, “therefore, I will have to stick to my conscience. “
Kakhol lavan’s leader, Benny Gantz, named Orit Farkash Hacohen of the party to upgrade Zamir and the coalition did not appear to be in immediate danger, commentators speculated that more resignations could occur.
“We joined the government in involving the coronavirus, to curb democracy or the rule of law,” Gantz said.
The new regulations prohibit protesters from traveling more than a mile (0. 6 miles) to attend protests, however, the left-wing haaretz newspaper reported Friday that social media apps had emerged that offered users places of protest near their homes.
Police have rigorously verified people’s identity cards, imposing unique fines on those who have breached the limits and “arresting those who disrupt public order,” according to a statement.
He did not imply how many arrests had been made, but said that “hundreds” of warnings of fines for emergency violations had been issued.
In Jerusalem, Israeli media estimated that some 200 more people demonstrated outdoors at Netanyahu’s official residence, a stark contrast to the thousands who had been there a week earlier.
Other demonstrations took place in the cities.
Although a general closure came into force on 18 September, the protest was thought to be an activity until parliament’s vote on Wednesday.
The new law gives the government the strength to claim a “special emergency over the coronavirus pandemic” for renewable periods of one week.
With more than 260,000 coronavirus infections shown to date and more than 1,600 deaths out of a population of nine million, Israel has lately the weekly rate consistent with the world’s per capita infection rate.
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