Israeli Leaders Debate Controversial 'Emergency' Coronavirus Law

JERUSALEM, Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the government will stop all measures to ease coronavirus restrictions do to an increase in cases. 

"It could be that we are already seeing the doubling of the rate of infection within ten days. I very much hope not," said Netanyahu. 

Government leaders also deliberated over a controversial new bill that would give the executive branch sweeping emergency powers to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The law is based on a previous version of proposed legislation that gave police special powers to enter people’s homes without warrants and use force to impose government virus regulations.

The bill sparked public outrage and cries that the government is infringing on individual liberties. The backlash forced government ministers to soften the law.

According to the latest version of the bill, the police will need a court order to enter a person’s home.

“Regarding civil rights and privacy rights, I spoke with the Public Security Minister and we agreed unequivocally that we will not allow security forces to break into citizens’ homes without a warrant,” Netanyahu said.

Police will be allowed to disperse public gatherings under the threat of fines or even prison sentences. However, the right to protest will remain.

The bill gives the government the authority to declare a state of emergency for 30 days, rather than 45 days in the previous version. Government ministers can extend the state of emergency every 30 days for up to 10 months.

Among other measures, the bill allows the state to enforce lockdowns and order people into isolation. Social distancing in public will be enforced and the state can restrict movement in certain neighborhoods for one week. A previous version of the law allowed the government to turn neighborhoods into restricted zones indefinitely.

Any new regulations introduced under the law will require Knesset approval within a week, whereas the original bill did not require approval by the parliament.

If the law is approved by the special government committee dedicated to fighting the virus, the measure will go to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation and to the Knesset for approval.

Defense Minister and “Alternate” Prime Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday that the government would not violate individual rights and would soften the bill.

After lifting a two-month coronavirus lockdown, infection rates are rising again in Israel. Leaders say most of the new infections are in schools. Last week, the government shut down dozens of schools, but most of them remain open.

As of Sunday evening, there were more than 100 new cases, bringing the total of virus cases in Israel to over 17,900. Of that total, 2,500 are active and most people have already recovered. Meanwhile, 298 people have died.

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