JERUSALEM (AP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel will close its international airport for almost all flights, while Israeli police clash with ultra-Orthodox protesters in several major cities and the government runs to control a coronavirus outbreak. .
The entry of highly contagious variants of the virus, coupled with inadequate application of safety rules in ultra-Orthodox communities, has contributed to one of the highest infection rates in the world. It also threatened to undermine Israel’s highly successful campaign to vaccinate its population against the virus.
In just one month, Israel vaccinated more than a quarter of its 9.2 million inhabitants. At the same time, the virus continues to spread across the country, with authorities confirming an average of more than 8,000 new cases per day.
At the end of Sunday, the Israeli cabinet approved a tight shutdown of almost all incoming and outgoing air traffic. The government said it would make exceptions for a small number of humanitarian cases – such as funerals and medical patients – and cargo flights.
“We are closing the skies tightly, except on rare exceptions, to prevent the entry of viral mutations and also to ensure that we move forward quickly in our vaccination campaign,” said Netanyahu.
The order is due to start on Tuesday and remain in effect until January 31. Netanyahu’s office said the order still required parliamentary legislation to be finalized.
During the pandemic, Israel restricted most foreigners from entering its main international airport. But it has made exceptions for certain categories of people, including religious and Israeli students returning from abroad, while allowing Israeli tourists to fly to a handful of “green countries” believed to have low rates of coronavirus.
This limited air travel appears to have allowed highly contagious variants of coronavirus from the UK and elsewhere to enter Israel. The Health Ministry said on Sunday it had detected the first case of a new variant of the coronavirus discovered in the United States, brought by a man who arrived from Los Angeles.
Experts say the lack of compliance with security regulations in Israel’s ultra-orthodox sector was also an important factor in the spread of the virus.
Israeli police have been reluctant to confront the ultra-Orthodox community. On Sunday, police clashed with large crowds of ultra-Orthodox protesters in several cities, with an officer shooting into the air in one city to keep a large crowd at bay.
During the pandemic, many leading ultra-Orthodox sects disregarded security regulations, continuing to open schools, pray in synagogues and hold mass weddings and funerals, despite broader blockade orders. This contributed to a disproportionate infection rate: the ultra-Orthodox community is responsible for more than a third of Israel’s coronavirus cases, despite representing just over 10% of the population.
Israel has recorded more than 595,000 cases of the virus since the pandemic began and more than 4,361 deaths. New cases continue to increase, even as the country launches one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the world and undergoes the third national blockade.
The worst unrest on Sunday occurred in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, where large crowds of young people clashed with police and threatened journalists. At one point, a policeman drew his pistol and fired into the air to make a crowd back.
In Jerusalem, police released tear gas and putrid-smelling water to disperse hundreds of ultra-Orthodox residents outside a reopened school. The protesters called the police “Nazis”.
In the coastal town of Ashdod, police fought with dozens of protesters outside an ultra-Orthodox school.
Five policemen were injured in the disputes and at least four people were arrested, the police said.
“I hope that all citizens of Israel respect the security guidelines. This includes all sectors, including the ultra-Orthodox, “said Netanyahu.
Netanyahu, who is counting on ultra-orthodox support in the upcoming national elections, said that most of the community respected security guidelines. He attributed the latter problems to a small minority acting in an “unacceptable” manner.
Sunday’s clashes were the latest incident of heightened tensions over the application of blockade rules in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Israel. On Friday, ultra-Orthodox Israelis attacked a police vehicle in the city of Bnei Brak, just outside Tel Aviv.