Thousands of Israelis protest against Netanyahu despite lockdown

The street protests took place just 3 days after the Israeli parliament approved a law to limit anti-government demonstrations

Israelis gather to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding his resignation over corruption cases and his failure to combat the coronavirus pandemic in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 03, 2020 [Mostafa Alkharouf / Anadolu Agency]

Israelis gather to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding his resignation over corruption cases and his failure to combat the coronavirus pandemic in Tel Aviv, Israel on 3 October 2020 [Mostafa Alkharouf / Anadolu Agency]

Israelis gather to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding his resignation over corruption cases and his failure to combat the coronavirus pandemic in Tel Aviv on 3 October 2020 [Mostafa Alkharouf / Anadolu Agency]

Thousands of Israelis protested across the country on Saturday, flouting a new law meant to curb anti-government demonstrations during a coronavirus lockdown, reported Reuters.

The street protests, just three days after parliament approved an edict to limit the scope of such demonstrations, kept pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the coronavirus crisis and over allegations of corruption, which he denies.

The new law bans Israelis from holding demonstrations more than 1 km (about half a mile) from their homes and forces stricter social distancing, a measure the government said was aimed at curbing COVID-19 infections. Critics have called it a blow to freedom of speech.

Most protests on Saturday night were small and scattered throughout the country, though a crowd of thousands gathered in Tel Aviv. A small number of protesters scuffled with police and tried to block city streets. About fifteen people were arrested, a police spokesman said.

Israel has shut down much of its economy and instructed people to stay within a kilometre of their homes whenever possible in an effort to contain a second-wave surge in coronavirus infections.

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