Netanyahu’s Likud threatens to impose emergency regulations to prevent protests

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies have threatened to impose emergency regulations to prevent anti-Netanyahu protests, after failing to pass restrictions on coronavirus law.

Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post reported on Friday that the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee dispersed on Friday at 2 a.m. without approving changes on coronavirus law, which would have included restrictions on the demonstrations.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the opposition MKs filed around 4,000 alterations to the bill, which were partly responsible for the lack of approval.

The newspaper reported Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, from Netanyahu’s Likud party, attempting during the committee’s debate to impose emergency regulations that would have allowed the government to place restrictions on gatherings until a law could be passed next week.

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“Before my eyes is first and foremost public health,” Edelstein claimed, stressing: “I will not allow the risk of human life in gatherings at all or in demonstrations or in synagogues.”

He accused the opposition of “acting irresponsibly at a time of national emergency” because of its “obsession to allow the demonstration festival”.

“Although the demonstrations only help the Likud party politically, they endanger public health and should therefore be stopped,” a Likud party statement claimed. “Immediately approve the emergency regulations to save the lives of many Israelis,” it urged.

Meanwhile, the coalition chairman MK Miki Zohar of the Likud party told KAN news: “Because of the opposition we can not pass the law that will prevent the demonstrations on Saturday.”

Netanyahu’s corruption scandal – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]