Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the demonstrations against him in the coronavirus cabinet meeting, according to Channel 12.
“For a long time, I refrained from commenting on the issue but after I heard the experts say that gatherings are a huge danger to public health, it’s my obligation to address it,” he says. “The entire public is required to comply with the rules and only a group of protesters is exempt from the [law].”
The protests, held several times weekly outside his Jerusalem residence, have not been curtailed despite the lockdown. The attorney general has laid out rules to spread out protesters during the rallies into “capsules,” but that did not appear to be implemented during last Saturday’s protest, which drew thousands even as the country was under lockdown.
“You can go to the Western Wall only if you live within 1,000 meters, but to Balfour [street], you can come from around the country. This farce must end. This is an emergency and we must have one rule for both prayer and protests and all other gatherings. Otherwise, the public won’t listen to the rules and we will see the infection rate reach terrible levels,” Netanyahu is quoted saying.
Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside his official residence in Jerusalem, September 20, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
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