The government has delayed its decision-making, and now personal responsibility and mutual guarantee will decide how we will proceed after the restrictions are tightened. • Police promise determined enforcement • Prime Minister: "
The State of Israel will enter a full two-week closure at 14:00, until October 11.
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement last night, after the general closure, a "breathing closure" will be imposed for another two weeks.
Photo: GPO
Last night (Thursday), the Knesset plenum approved on first reading the government bill on the Corona, which authorizes the government to declare a special state of emergency due to the spread of the virus and announces a series of restrictions on public space.
The bill, which was passed to the Constitution Committee in preparation for the second and third readings, greatly reduces the ability of the protesters to hold demonstrations on Balfour Street and elsewhere around the country.
The law also gives police officers the authority to impose fines of NIS 500 on those who do not comply with its instructions.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he decided to impose a rigid closure because Israel is in a national emergency. "This is a national emergency, we are in an ongoing war - the Corona War - a war on the economy, health and life." Netanyahu explained that he decided to adopt a rigid closure "I have heard the experts and I respect them, but many times in the past I have made decisions against the positions of the experts and they have turned out to be correct."
Netanyahu blamed the public figures who underestimated the danger posed by the corona plague for the national emergency that the state reached.
In a press briefing in his office, Netanyahu said that opposition leaders, Yair Lapid, Avigdor Lieberman, MK Yifat Shasha Bitton and the "Choir Hakol Sabba", as he put it, texted the government's decisions and caused the public to disobey instructions.
Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn said in response to Netanyahu's speech: "It is shameful to see that tonight Netanyahu also chooses to continue inciting against the protesters. Blue and white are leading a responsible line of social solidarity and Netanyahu continues to divide his political needs. They will be able to continue to exercise their democratic right without restrictions of closure, immediately after its removal. "
In addition, the director general of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Hezi Levy, referred to the claim that the closure is political: "How can it be political if we see such mortality of patients hospitalized in a critical condition?"
Gamzo: "Unfortunate decision"
Meanwhile, last night 13 harsh things were published in the news that Corona professor Prof. Roni Gamzo said about the prime minister and his decision to impose a rigid general closure. It should be noted that these things were said in closed conversations: "It was an unfortunate decision, it was disgusting.
I need to take packs of anti-nausea pills.
This is unprecedented in the country.
It all started with the lawyers telling Netanyahu that demonstrations could not be prevented.
Netanyahu said - if everyone is at home and the entire economy is shut down, then it is impossible to prevent demonstrations? ", Gamzo said after the long cabinet meeting that ended with the dramatic decision to go to the general closure.
The fundamental change in the new closure in relation to the current closure concerns the workplaces.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Health, all jobs will be closed, in contrast to the partial presence in the current closure.
Exceptions will be the places defined as essential.
Already in the current restrictions, places of entertainment and recreation have remained closed.
As for the movement of citizens, a person will not be allowed to travel more than a kilometer from his home except for a vital need.
Among the list of exceptions: stocking up on essential products or receiving essential services;
Assistance to a person in difficulty or distress;
Attending the funeral of a close family member;
Receiving medical or social care;
Vital animal care;
Transfer of a minor between his parents living separately and more.
One of the burning issues that has caused tensions within the coalition is the issue of rallies in demonstrations and prayers.
At the end of many discussions, Spokesman Mandelblit instructed the police to limit the demonstrations to up to 2,000 participants from now until the end of the Corona crisis. During the tight closure, for the next two weeks, it will be possible to demonstrate only one kilometer from home and up to 20 demonstrators.
"The public is disciplined"
Meanwhile, starting today at 14:00, police will ensure an exit of up to 1,000 meters, and checkpoints will be set up between the cities and entrances to cities and towns.
"The activity will focus on the cities," a senior police officer said yesterday. "We will enforce the determination of businesses to open and not wear masks, and we will also deal with protests and demonstrations that have no purpose but protest and defiance of the law. We will deal with this with determination. "We are different enough to violate the guidelines. We are experienced enough to know what defiance is and we will handle it with determination."
Police will allow bereaved families to go to the graves of their loved ones on Yom Kippur. In luxury demonstrations, police are required to enforce the required distance of 2 meters from person to person.
"If we notice groups that are crowded, we will announce first and whoever is not heard will be subject to a fine of 1,000 shekels," a senior police officer said yesterday.
As it was on Rosh Hashanah, about 6,000 policemen and 1,000 soldiers will enforce the closure.
Police hope they will not have to deal with places of worship where there will be blatant violations.
"We will not allow the public to ease the morbidity of the disease," the senior officer added in a briefing to police reporters. "The public consciousness should be such that it understands that the situation is serious and police activity is intended to reduce the morbidity. We expect civil discipline."
As for the public response, according to the senior officer: "Rosh Hashanah taught us that the public is disciplined. In the three days of the holiday in total we saw public behavior as expected."
Ariel Kahana, Itzik Saban, Gideon Alon, Meital Yasur Beit-Or, Shlomi Diaz, Itzik Saban participated in the preparation of the article.
Daniel Roth-Avnery and Yair Altman