Former chief of the IDF Ground Forces Command Guy Tzur took to social media on Friday night to warn members of the ruling Likud party that “tyranny is already here and Likudniks are keeping their mouths shut.”
He went on to address them, saying that “the truth is obvious to you: [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is doing all he can do to destroy all breaks and balances that exist, so that he can get enough power to do what he wants – as much as he wants – without answering to anyone.”
Netanyahu imposed extreme measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country, claiming that the pandemic should be viewed as a state of war, even if the enemy is a virus.
The result is that the court system and the Knesset have been shut down, postponing the trial he was meant to begin in March for alleged corruption and breach of trust. In addition, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) was tasked with using surveillance technology to pinpoint the location of Israelis who might have contracted the novel coronavirus, a step that the Supreme Court ruled will be null and void until Knesset begins to function again on Tuesday when the security services will be under its control.
A protest in Jerusalem against the Knesset closing was prevented by police, which arrested nine protesters, claiming that they are in violation of the Order to secure the Health of the People.
Tzur asked: “Is he [Netanyahu] worth the destruction of democracy for you?”