Protesters denounce Netanyahu
Israeli prime minister defends actions to deal with pandemic
JERUSALEM — Hundreds of people defied Israel’s restrictions on large gatherings to protest outside parliament Thursday, while scores of others were blocked by police from reaching the area.
They accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of exploiting the coronavirus crisis to solidify his power and undermine Israel’s democratic foundations.
In recent days, Netanyahu and his surrogates have shut down Israel’s court system just ahead of his trial on corruption charges, have begun using phone surveillance technology on the public and adjourned parliament until next week.
Netanyahu has defended most of these moves as unpleasant but necessary steps to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. But opponents say he is more interested in staying in power as Netanyahu governs in a caretaker role after a third consecutive inconclusive election in under a year.
Police said they arrested three people for violating a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. They also blocked a convoy of dozens of cars from entering Jerusalem and prevented dozens of other cars inside Jerusalem from approaching the Knesset, or parliament, building. Many of the cars honked and black flags were hung out of their windows.
Israel is a “good country, good people and we need to remember the foundation upon which this country was built,” said protester Michal Levi. “We have only one country. That’s it. Don’t give up on it.”
Police rejected accusations that they were carrying out Netanyahu’s bidding, saying they were following Health Ministry orders meant to curb the spread of the virus. “No one is above the law or above public health orders released by the ministry of health,” it said.
At the nearby Supreme Court, justices heard separate challenges to the new cellphone tracking edict and the shutdown of the Knesset.
Civil-rights groups and the opposition Blue and White party filed the cases.
Netanyahu announced this week that Israel’s Shin Bet security agency would begin deploying its phone surveillance technology to help curb the spread of the coronavirus in Israel by tracking the moves of those infected. The order went into effect late Wednesday when the government said it had notified about 400 people that they had come into contact with infected people and should immediately quarantine themselves.
Israel uses phone surveillance in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying it’s an important tool to prevent attacks on Israelis. The surveillance in Israel has sparked widespread criticism from lawmakers and civil-rights groups.
The virus has spread to more than 100 countries.
Israeli health officials have diagnosed over 500 coronavirus infections, with a sharp spike of positive tests in the past two days.
There have been no deaths.
With the numbers quickly rising, authorities have issued tough guidelines that have brought Israel to a standstill.
Many of the measures have been seen elsewhere. People have been instructed to stay home, tens of thousands are in preventive home quarantine and the borders have been virtually sealed.
Netanyahu has thrived in the crisis, delivering stern televised addresses nearly every evening.
He has defended the tough steps, including the electronic surveillance, as measures he has reluctantly been forced to impose in order to save lives, while his opponents are focused on petty politics.
In a televised interview Wednesday, Netanyahu said that during his 11 years as prime minister, he had always refused to use surveillance on Israeli citizens. He said there would be “maximum oversight” to protect privacy concerns.
“The last thing I will do is harm democracy,” he said.