After the Knesset failed to pass an amendment to public health legislation that would limit protests, thousands of members of the "black flag" movement arrived at Balfour St. in Jerusalem on Saturday evening to continue their demonstrations demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resign.
Clashes were reported between protesters and police, and five demonstrators were arrested. Police also fined 150 protesters for violating coronavirus regulations.
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One man was arrested on suspicion of hurling a Molotov cocktail at cars carrying protesters to site. The man resisted arrest and assaulted the police officers who were trying to take him into custody, injuring one, who had to receive medical treatment. Police later reported that the suspect had been transferred to a police station for questioning.
Other protests continued nationwide. In Caesarea, several hundred demonstrators drove to a protest outside Netanyahu's private residence in an event organized by the Movement for Quality Government
"There is no way of solving the COVID crisis without the trust of the public, and Netanyahu has lost the public's trust," said MQG chairman Dr. Eliad Shraga.
"He is up to his neck in his trial, so for the good of the country, Netanyahu should step down immediately. There is no other option," Shraga said.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri tweeted a response to Saturday's protests: "The demonstration on Balfour St. now, when the entire country is under lockdown, is irresponsible and will lead to a spike in infection. When they behave irresponsibly, we need to be more responsible and so I am calling on the enormous sector who fasts and prays on Yom Kippur to follow the [COVID] regulations and pray outside, as Israel's rabbis have instructed."
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein also weighed in, tweeting: "I am calling on the citizens of Israel not to follow the example of the protesters this evening. They took advantage of the Knesset running out the clock to interfere with the health of those around them. With God's help, on Tuesday we will complete the legislation and the protests will be limited, too. We are a day out from Yom Kippur. Let's take care of each other, and uphold the rules of the lockdown. We have a responsibility toward each other."
Netanyahu and Edelstein have left abandoned their attempts to have the emergency public health directive amended to restrict demonstrations to a distance of 1 km. from people's homes.
The cabinet now plans to seek an alternative way of limiting the demonstrations through legislation, but for now, protests are exempt from the lockdown and there is no limitation to the number of people who can participate.
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Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit has opposed any amendment to the emergency laws that would restrict demonstrations during the lockdown, and on Friday afternoon informed the members of the Corona cabinet of his decision.
The various groups that organize the weekly protests announced in a joint statement that a convoy would drive to the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem on Saturday evening and that the protests would take place with participants following public health rules about masks and social distancing
"At these difficult times, taking part in protests is not a privilege, it is a moral obligation – we urge everyone to join us," one group said.
"The COVID disaster is the Yom Kippur War of 2020, which has brought social, health, and economic disaster down on Israel. Netanyahu is the sole guilty party and he is trying to wipe out democracy. He is obsessed with the Balfour St. protests, because they expose the lies he is trying to cover up and the fact that he has abandoned the people of Israel. This evening's protests are necessary to save the life of democracy and our children's future. On the eve of Yom Kippur, the people of Israel are telling Netanyahu – you have sinned, go!"
Ariel Kahana contributed to this report
