Five Israeli police officers were injured Sunday in clashes with ultra-Orthodox protesters protesting coronavirus restrictions in cities across the country.
Police reported five injuries to officers and at least four arrests as large crowds of ultra-Orthodox protesters clashed with officers in several Israeli cities. The Associated Press reported.
Israeli law enforcement has mostly hesitated to repress people from the ultra-Orthodox community for failing to meet the requirements of COVID-19, including reopening schools, praying in synagogues and holding large weddings and funerals.
But on Sunday, officers clashed with the crowd of protesters protesting against the restrictions.
In Bnei Brak, youths challenged police and threatened reporters, leading an officer to fire the gun into the air to deter the crowd, according to the AP. Two days earlier, ultra-Orthodox protesters had attacked a police vehicle in the city.
Law enforcement used tear gas and stinking water to break up hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters outside a reopened school and called police “Nazis.” Dozens of protesters also clashed with police in Ashdod, outside an ultra-Orthodox school.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin (Bibi) NetanyahuMORE condemned disobedience to coronavirus restrictions, saying a small minority of people were behaving in an “unacceptable” way.
“I hope all citizens of Israel respect the security guidelines,” he said, according to the AP. “This includes all sectors, including the ultra-Orthodox.”
Israel has one of the highest infection rates of any country in the world, with an average of more than 8,000 confirmed cases per day. Health experts have attributed the recent spread of the virus to non-compliance among the ultra-Orthodox community.
Israel has reported about 600,000 COVID-19 cases and about 4,400 fatalities, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the ultra-Orthodox community, which accounts for more than a third of Israel’s cases, while accounting for just over 10 percent of the population.
The increase in cases could jeopardize the success of Israel’s vaccination effort after the country has vaccinated more than a quarter of its 9.2 million population, according to the PA.
Protests also occur when Netanyahu announced that the nation will close its international airport on almost all flights from Tuesday through Jan. 31. Exceptions will be made for a small number of humanitarian cases and cargo flights.