Israeli police fine lockdown violators and arrest protesters

DPA, 11TH OCTOBER, 2020Israeli police fined thousands of people for violating coronavirus rules and arrested four protesters at anti-government demonstrations, as a debate on cautiously lifting the emergency measures got under way.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began discussing gradually lifting the second lockdown on Sunday afternoon, over four weeks after it came into force.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld confirmed on Sunday that police handed out nearly 10,000 fines on Saturday and Friday for various violations of lockdown rules.

Police fined many of thousands of ultra-orthodox Jews who defied social distancing and mask-wearing rules while celebrating the Simhat Torah holiday after dark on Saturday.

Police also identified and fined four coronavirus patients at a Jerusalem synagogue, and stopped several others at roadblocks outside the city and in Tel Aviv, the spokesman said.

While most ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel respect the lockdown rules, a minority completely ignore them, although infections are spiralling in their communities.

Four people were arrested during an anti-netanyahu protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday under suspicion of assaulting officers and damaging property. The largely orderly march, which began after sunset at Habima Square in central Tel Aviv, was however allowed to proceed.

The Black Flags protest movement said more than 100,000 Israelis demonstrated across the country against Netanyahu and his government for the 16th Saturday in a row.