“Right now, it’s basically in the ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities,” Netanyahu said, expressing his “respect” to the leaders of both communities who “told me to impose restrictions. “
“We will have to take steps to prevent them from infections at events, weddings and schools,” the Prime Minister said. “We will do what is obligatory in a responsible manner. Don’t pay attention to populists. “
Netanyahu has been criticized, through coalition members, for delaying the vote in the closet and turning the government’s plan into reaction to Haredi’s pressure.
A senior anonymous fitness ministry official quoted through Ynet’s online news page saying that neither he nor Gamzu were “willing to settle for the preference of political considerations over fitness considerations. “
The official was quoted as saying that leaders do not “give in to political considerations that would lead to Gamzu’s resignation. “
Gamzu, who has been continually criticized through the ultra-Orthodox for pushing for closure, told a Knesset committee on Sunday that he was facing “organized artillery designed to distract my attention from professional decisions. “He said that “no user can simply resist this,” and describes himself as a friend of the Haredi community.
“The coronavirus is a political problem,” said Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel of the small party in the Derech Eretz coalition. “The government has resolved to impose local closures in the ‘red’ areas, and that is the right thing to do. “
The most direct members of the opposition.
“The agreement is simple. Bibi gives the ultra-Orthodox everything they want and, in response, gets him out of jail,” said Meretz MP Yair Golan, Netanyahu’s nickname. “What happens when public fitness is at stake?Of course, the legal wishes of the accused offender are greater than all ».
“We are all hostages,” said party leader Yisrael Beytenu, Avigdor Liberman, who has criticized Netanyahu and Haredi’s leaders since their fight with the prime minister last year.
“If you made plans for the big parties, it’s a shame you didn’t coordinate them first with Deri and Litzman,” Liberman said. “Due to the wrath of ultra-Orthodox parties, Netanyahu’s election will be a general closure of Rosh. “Hashana until the end of Sucot.
“Netanyahu fears God, but he fears God’s representatives in the Knesset. “
In an additional sign of the breakup between Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox leaders, Ofer Shelah, who challenged opposition leader Yair Lapid and suggested that he conduct primaries for the leadership of the Yesh Atid party, was invited to an assembly with Bnei Mayor Brakei Avraham Rubinstein.
Shelah called for measures to “take into account the special status” of the Haredi city, but added that “the worst thing is the hesitation, indecision and political tension action that characterizes Netanyahu’s failure on all issues. “
The letter accusing Netanyahu of turning ultra-Orthodox communities into “enemies of the people” and promises to defy closing orders, signed by Bnei Brak mayor Avraham Rubinstein, Beitar Illit Mayor Meir Rubinstein, Elad Mayor Israel Porush, and Emmanuel Eliyahu Mayor Gafni.
“You never bothered to listen to our voices, perceive our crisis, and watch to advance practical efforts to flatten the infection curve, you weren’t listening, and you weren’t interested in learning,” the mayors said.
Instead, Netanyahu “imposed one blockade after another in Haredi cities, which never made a genuine difference, or we would have supported them all with one voice and implemented them on our own. “
They accused Netanyahu of “trying to move the media to the weaker communities. “
“We will avoid cooperating with the authorities,” they wrote, “in something similar to locking up. State agencies are invited to act on their own, as they have in any case above our heads. You, personally, will have to take your duty, Prime Minister.
And they concluded, “The whole haredi public will not accept the injustice that is done to them. We don’t know who the guy who, over and over again, is committed to becoming vectors of diseases and enemies of others through selective punishment. “Tens of thousands of families in the Haredi community, we see in you the only one guilty of those punishments.
The opinion expressed in the letter, they said, had won the support of the main rabbis of the Haredi network before being sent.
Measures proposed through Gamzu included prohibiting access and exit, keeping citizens within 500 metres of their homes, avoiding public transport and non-essential final businesses and all schools, with the exception of day care centres and special school programs.
The villages designated as “red” as of Sunday morning were: Kafr Qassem, Lakiya, Yakir, Ein Mahil, Daliyat al-Karmel, Tira, Kfar Aza, Jaljulya, Maale Iron, Emmanuel, Assafiya, Beit Jann, Kasra- Samia, Beitar Illit, Ka’abiyye-Tabbash-Hajajre, Tiberias, Umm al-Fahm, Fureidis, Buqata, Jatt, Rechasim, Aabalin, Kafr Kanna, Kafr Bara, Taibe, Bnei Brak, Arara, Zemer, Abu Snan, Qalansawe, Elad, Sheikh
In addition, the following jerusalem neighborhoods have been designated as “red”: the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Armenian wards of the Old City; Shuafat; Shuafat refugee camp and Anatot shopping area; Issawiya; A-Tur; Al Shaykh; Al Sawana; Bab a-Zahara; Wadi al-Joz; Sheikh Jarrah.
Most of the localities to which the new restrictions will apply are predominantly Arab and ultra-Orthodox areas.
According to the Ministry of Health, Israel on Saturday surpassed the bleak benchmark of 1,000 deaths by the new coronavirus, the 49th country in the world to do so.
A total of 14 new deaths were recorded in Shabbat, bringing the number of others in Israel who died from COVID-19 to 1007, a death toll that increased Sunday night to 1012.
Even when control rates fell over the weekend to just 15,317 on Saturday, 1,523 new infections were confirmed, the fitness ministry said Sunday night.
A total of 130,157 cases have occurred since the start of the pandemic, of which 26,683 are active.
There were 447 patients hospitalized in severe condition, 127 of whom were being treated with fans, the fitness ministry said, in addition, another 164 people were in moderate condition.
Israel has lately a rate of new infections consistent with the world’s inhabitant, on average weekly.