Prime Minister Minister of Internal Security Minister of Health Attorney General
Knesset Member Benjamin Netanyahu, MK Gilad Erdan, Rabbi Yaakov Litzman, MK Dr. Avichai Mandelblit.
Prime Minister’s Office Ministry of Internal Security Ministry of Health Ministry of Justice
Subject: Emergency Regulations (Novel Coronavirus – Restriction of Activity), 2020-2020;
Restrictions on a Settlement with a Majority of its Residents being Muslims
In this regard, I would like to communicate with you on behalf of the Arab Economic Forum and on behalf of the Arab citizens and business owners in the country in general and the members of the Arab Economic Forum in particular, as follows:
1. On April 22, 2020, the government approved Amendment No. 7 to the Emergency Regulations (Novel Coronavirus – Restriction of Activity), 2020 (hereinafter: “Emergency Regulations”), in which Regulation 5(c) was added to the restriction on the regulation of commercial activity, entertainment and leisure, and was requested to instruct:
“Notwithstanding what is stated in Sub-Regulation (b), in the area where the majority of its residents are Muslims, as well as in the Jerusalem area specified on the map in Annex III, no person may occupy a place, a commercial establishment or a commercial establishment as detailed in Sub-Regulation (b) (1) to (2a) that is open to the public from 6 p.m. until 3 p.m. the following day, with the exception of a pharmacy and subject to what is stated in Sub-Regulation (b) (2); any person may operate such a place or Work or store by ordering in advance via phone or network (Internet), with delivery service only and without pick-up from the place, from work or from the store as mentioned.”
2. At this stage, the effective date of the provisions of Article 5 (c) of the Emergency Regulations was April 23, 2020 and its validity was limited until May 3, 2020. We assume that the validity of the aforementioned system was limited until the aforementioned date in order to review the effectiveness, efficiency and degree of suitability of its provisions for that date. In order to make the necessary corrections to it as required (and indeed required) for the rest of the month of Ramadan.
Hence, we appeal to you, and its purpose is to convey the professional voice of the Arab Economic Forum and the voice of the public of Arab business owners – small, medium and large alike, to their visions, concerns and suggestions.
3. The goal of establishing the aforementioned regulation is clear, which is to protect public health, and there is no need to expand and use the words of the wise about the importance of this value. At the same time, we believe that the means used by the government to protect this value are not commensurate with the needs of Arab society, during this period or in general; and are not commensurate with the nature of the month of Ramadan; It does not take into account, correctly, the enormous economic consequences of this step for Arab companies. These will be explained.
4. It is worth noting that the Arab Economic Forum knows that the Prime Minister’s Office held consultations with some heads of Arab local authorities, Muslim clerics and others. But as far as we understand, there was not a single expert in the unique economics of the Arab community in the country among these factors. And realize that the decision regarding preventive measures against the spread of the virus, as anyone like you knows, is not a decision whose guiding considerations are health alone (even if it has a heavy weight), but rather includes considerations from other areas, such as: the economy, culture, general resilience and other basic needs.
5. As we know, the month of Ramadan is a period in which business activity increases in Arab society and revenues from it constitute a very large share of Arab business revenues throughout the fiscal year – and this increased business activity intensifies, in particular, during the hours in which activity is restricted according to Dana’s regulations, due to the special nature of the month and its unique lifestyle. Therefore, the restrictions in the regulations constitute an unprecedented economic blow and the matter requires renewed and more enlightened thinking.
6. According to the government directives published from time to time regarding the fight against the Corona virus, we are aware of the trend to impose restrictions based on areas with high morbidity rates and to ease restrictions in areas with lower morbidity rates. The general restriction, without any discrimination, on the entire Arab-Muslim community, which is stipulated in the regulations, does not conform to this trend, and the criteria on which it is based have not been clarified. The custom of place and location may be justified, but it must be logical and justified – which is not the case in our case. 7. How can one justify imposing such strict restrictions on Arab settlements in which no morbidity has been recorded at all or in which morbidity rates are minimal (?). Moreover, in some places, the chosen measure does not even achieve the goal of preventing gatherings and reducing contact with people outside the nuclear family unit. For example: There are Arab settlements, a significant number of them, located next to Jewish settlements to which the Ramadan restrictions clearly do not apply. In other words, the Arab residents of these places will resort to the easy alternative of going to stores operating in nearby Jewish areas to meet their needs, which will create crowding in those settlements and increase the chances of mixing, exposure and infection. This is especially true in light of the fact that the general economy is expected to return to almost full activity next Sunday – April 25, 2020.
8. In order not to prolong it too much, we now turn to our list of proposals:
8.1. Every discussion and every government committee that discusses the restrictions, consequences, strategies and development of rehabilitation plans in light of the Corona crisis will be accompanied by public representatives and experts from the Arab community – both in the field of economics and in other related fields.
