4 Israelis Arrested in Riots Over Police Fining Man Suspected of Violating Quarantine

Four Israelis were arrested in April 1 riots in Jaffa over police fining a man suspected of violating the state-enforced quarantine.

According to The Times of Israel (TOI) and Jerusalem Post, the man refused to show the police his identification card when they said they suspected him of being more than 100 meters away from his home; the man’s family members and other bystanders started to circle the officers and throw objects at them, which included stones and burning tires. Dozens of Israelis took part in the unrest.

The Post and TOI highlighted videos on social media depicting the violence that took place between protesters and law enforcement.

אלימות המשטרה ביפו מוכיחה שוב את היחס הברוטלי שלה כלפי האזרחים בכלל והאזרחים הערבים בפרט. במשבר הקשה של כל העולם אל מול הקורונה, אין איך להבין את את ההתנהגות וההתנהלות של המשטרה. בדרך בה הם נהגו, המשטרה סיכנה את התושבים ביפו ואת כוחותיה בצורה מיותרת. pic.twitter.com/hUurm230dF

— Sami Abou Shahadeh (@ShahadehAbou) April 1, 2020

המשטרה עצרה לחקירה ארבעה חשודים בגין התקהלות ותקיפת שוטרים ביפו. תושבים הפגינו והבעירו צמיגים במחאה על המעצרים@daniel_elazar pic.twitter.com/d0TH4vUTXk

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 1, 2020

https://www.facebook.com/nassar.furat/videos/3186874997989310/

As of April 1, there are 6,092 cases of COVID-19 in Israel and 26 deaths. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israelis will have to wear masks when outside; those who don’t have masks can use homemade alternatives such as a scarf to cover his or her nose and mouth.

Netanyahu said that while there is some reason for optimism that the coronavirus situation is improving in Israel, certain parts of the country have seen the virus “spread at double the rate of the rest of the country and continues to double.” Israel is still in danger of “a slide toward those countries that already have thousands of dead,” he added.