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Orthodox Jews Clash with Israeli Police Over Coronavirus Restrictions, 3 Arrested

[additional-authors]
March 23, 2020
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – DECEMBER 15: (ISRAEL OUT) Israeli Police officers are seen during strugle with Palestinians at the Old City after Friday pray at the Old City on December 15, 2017 in Jerusalem, Israel. Hundreds of Palestinians protested in Jerusalem against US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise the city as the capital of Israel, after the Friday pray. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

Three people were arrested on March 22 in confrontations between Orthodox Jews and the Israeli police responsible for enforcing the Israeli government’s social restrictions regarding the coronavirus.

The Times of Israel reported that several Orthodox Jewish men surrounded the officers and threw rocks at them while calling them Nazis in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim. The three arrested persons were fined $1,380 each for violating Israel’s coronavirus restrictions.

The Times found the following videos on social media of the confrontations:

The confrontations came as the Israeli government was set to announce even more restrictions on March 23, including the shutdown of all public transportation and all businesses with the exception of grocery stores and pharmacies. The restrictions, which will last for at least seven days, will also set limits on how far people can venture from their homes while outside.

As of March 23, there were 1,238 reported cases of coronavirus in Israel; 24 in serious condition. Israel’s first coronavirus death occurred on March 20, identified as 88-year-old Aryeh Even, a Holocaust survivor.

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