State tells High Court protest restrictions will expire on Tuesday, will not be extended

Under the current emergency measures, protests could only take place in groups of 20 and prayer sessions in groups of 10 AND not farther than one kilometer from a citizen's home
Yael Friedson|
Coronavirus restrictions limiting public gatherings, namely protests and prayer in public, are set to expire on Tuesday and will not be subject to renewal, state officials told the High Court of Justice on Monday.
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  • The statement came as the court was set to convene on Tuesday to discuss civil appeals against the extension of a state of emergency amid the pandemic.
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    הפגנות נגד הממשלה ובנימין נתניהו בכיכר הבימה בתל אביב
    הפגנות נגד הממשלה ובנימין נתניהו בכיכר הבימה בתל אביב
    Protesters in Tel Aviv amid coroavirus pandemic
    (Photo: EPA)
    Under the current emergency measures, which will expire at 11:59pm Tuesday, protests could only take place in groups of 20 and prayer sessions in groups of 10 and not farther than a one-kilometer (0.6-mile) distance from a citizen's home.
    The announcement by the state essentially means that demonstrations outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem could resume Wednesday.
    Crime Minister, one of the protest movements, welcomed the announcement, saying that, "the state’s response is a harbinger of the end of the political lockdown and the end of the dictatorial regulations."
    The Health Ministry has announced it will not ask the government to extend the country's state of emergency beyond its intended end date.
    On Sunday, Netanyahu said during a closed-door meeting that he will not push for an extension to the protest limit.
    2 View gallery
    מתחם היבדק וסע בראשון לציון
    מתחם היבדק וסע בראשון לציון
    A drive-thru coronavirus testing center in central Israel
    (Photo: Avi Moalem)
    The lockdown measures have shown results as the national infection rate declined dramatically in mere weeks.
    A report published Monday by the IDF Intelligence Directorate showed that Israel's contagion rate over the past days stood at 8%, compared to 10% last week.
    However, Israel continues to have one of the highest daily death rates from the virus and is among the global leaders in number of daily cases per capita.
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