Israel minister quits over looming virus lockdown

A powerful Israeli Cabinet minister resigned on Sunday in protest over a government plan to impose a nationwide lockdown this week to contain the spread of the coronavirus, ahead of the Jewish New Year.  Housing Minister Yaakov Litzman, who served as health minister during the initial outbreak of the pandemic, said the measure was extreme and caused undue suffering to the general population.

Litzman, who heads an influential ultra-Orthodox faction in the coalition government, expressed particular ire toward the restrictions that will limit observant Jews from attending communal prayers at synagogues during the upcoming high holidays.

"The decision to impose a full lockdown over the holidays was planned in advance out of a lack of appreciation to the Jewish holidays," he said in his resignation letter. Israel earned praise last spring for its early handling of the virus crisis, moving quickly to seal the country's borders and appearing to bring an outbreak under control.

But it was criticized for opening too quickly and allowing contagion to spread once again.

With the country reporting record levels of new coronavirus cases each day, the government is expected to vote on Sunday in favor of another nationwide lockdown this week to quell the outbreak. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced a national furor over his handling of the pandemic, with the weekly protests against his corruption trial adding his conduct during the pandemic issue as another reason for demanding his resignation.

But perhaps more damaging politically, that anger has been boiling over among the ultra-Orthodox, typically among his strongest supporters.

Their leaders have thus far used their political muscle to fend off what they see as discriminatory restrictions. The dense ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods have seen some of the country's highest contagion rates.

Last week, Netanyahu announced overnight curfews on some 40 cities and towns hit hardest by the coronavirus, but backed away from reported recommendations for full lockdowns after an uproar by the politically powerful religious politicians.