Coronavirus has shown the limitations of remote journalism, and none more so than when covering the Knesset
But perks apart, coronavirus has shown the limitations of remote journalism, and none more so than when covering the Knesset. Since the onset of COVID, access to Israel’s parliament has been severely restricted, with MKs able to issue only four passes daily. The last time yours truly was there, the building was almost deserted, lawmakers had masks over their chins, and operations were down to essentials.
None is more vital than the Plexiglas-divided Law and Constitution Committee room — the parliamentary body that has emerged as a check on government power as Israel battles a second wave. A half hour spent there recently, and a post–Yom Tov conversation with its chairman, Degel HaTorah politician Yaakov Asher, showed the complexity of the country’s battle with coronavirus. Here are some takeaways:
How much lockdown is too much with corona? Judging by the star-studded list of lawbreakers — including a Likud minister, an opposition MK, the head of the Shin Bet, and the army’s chief of staff (and myself) — the reality is that from the top of society to the bottom, the rules are being ignored.
At the vocal post-Succos Law and Constitution Committee meeting, those rules came under attack from former justice minister Ayelet Shaked, now an opposition MK.
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