, Columnist
Israelis Suspect This Lockdown Isn’t About The Virus
Benjamin Netanyahu’s new decrees help protect his ultra-Orthodox supporters while giving him an excuse to crack down on demonstrators.
Embattled.
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On the day after Yom Kippur, three days after the government decreed a total shutdown of Israel, millions of citizens woke up prepared to break the law. This isn’t just a rejection of painful new restrictions on their freedom; it’s a vote of no-confidence in Benjamin Netanyahu.
The new lockdown decrees are clear and strict: Schools will be closed and non-essential businesses and factories shuttered. Citizens will be forbidden to congregate or to travel more than a kilometer from home. And, after this week, demonstrations will be curbed – a factor some consider the real motive behind the measures.