Israel's parliament approved a government-backed edict on Wednesday likely to stifle protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged corruption and his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
The legislation, ratified after an all-night debate in the Knesset, bans Israelis from holding demonstrations more than 1 km (0.6 miles) from their homes, a measure the government said was aimed at curbing COVID-19 infections.
Critics of the new measure, which becomes part of Israel's second national lockdown that went into effect on Sept. 18, said it was really intended to block protests near Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem.