Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel has offered to take on the role of coordinator of government activities to check the spread of coronavirus in the ultra-Orthodox sector, noting in a cabinet meeting on Monday that no other candidate has put him or herself forth for the job, and that he is already in close contact with Haredi leaders because of his communications role.
On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached an agreement with leaders of the Haredi parties that prior to placing Haredi neighborhoods under closures, representatives of the community would be consulted, and that if it were possible, Haredi communities would operate local coronavirus action centers.
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Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and Public Security Minister Amir Ohana took part in the meetings with Haredi representatives. Ohana announced that he had appointed retired Israel Police Maj. Gen. Arik Yakuel to head a team to consult the government on outreach to Haredi communities.
"No one wants to attack [the Haredim], the opposite," Netanyahu said.
Shas leader Aryeh Deri responded that the government was "running discriminatory enforcement against the Haredi public."
In the meeting with the prime minister, Shas MKs noted violence in police enforcement in Haredi enclaves, as opposed to their "light touch" in dealing with other sectors of the population.
Shas MK Michael Michaeli expressed outrage over what he called "selective enforcement" of coronavirus policies: "In Betar [Illit] a woman gets a 2,000 shekel [$580] fine, in Tel Aviv, [police] hand out masks. Our public feels persecuted."
Knesset Economy Committee Chairman MK Yakov Margi, summed up the sentiment in the Haredi community: "Instead of fines, the police hand out fists."
Meanwhile, clashes over closures instituted in Haredi cities and neighborhoods where the number of coronavirus cases has spiked continued unabated on Monday, including controversy over footage from a protest in Jerusalem on Saturday night, in which Haredi demonstrators blocked traffic and broke down police barriers over a decision to close the city's Romema and Kiryat Sanz neighborhoods.
At one point during the protest, a member of the police special forces is seen beating a protester who pointed out that the officer himself was not wearing a mask. The Police Investigative Unit has launched a probe into the incident.
Data obtained by Israel Hayom indicate that the Haredi claims may be based on specific incidents rather than a general trend of conduct. From July 1-7, police handed out some 27,000 fines to members of the public caught not wearing masks, and less than 2% were given in Haredi cities.
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