Police and prosecution services are expected to request the court to release Rabbi Netanel Shriki of Rehovot, subject to restrictions.Rabbi Shriki is suspected of serious offenses and his assistant, Ariel Moshe, was arrested together with him In charges of obstructing the investigation.

Speaking In Radio 103FM today, the director of Ashdod's Assuta hospital, Prof. Shuki Shemer, said that it would demonstrate a lack of responsibility to avoid imposing a general lockdown during the upcoming High Holidays and the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles)."We have no other option than to impose a general closure during the festivals," he said. "We're in an emergency situation, and people are simply not internalizing it. A large segment of the population does not yet understand that we're at war here."

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has told Salah Hamouri that he intends to use his authority to revoke his permanent residence status in Israel.Hamouri is a resident of Kafr 'Aqab where he has been living for the past thirty years. He is a senior operative in the Popular Front (PFLP), for which he collected funds and also took part in its activities. He has been arrested In several occasions and sat in prison for a while after being convicted of terror activities.He was also found guilty of conspiring to murder former Chief Sephardic Rabbi Harav Ovadya Yosef ztz"l.

Yesh Atid party leader MK Yair Lapid was interviewed this morning In Kan Bet and commented In the announcement of fellow party member Ofer Shelah that he intends to challenge Lapid for the party leadership and is calling for primaries to be held."This is part of political life," he said. "I'm not losing any sleep over it. And I never said that our current system of choosing the party list was good - it's just that I think that having primaries is much worse - it corrupts the political system."He added that, "Ofer Shelah is fit to lead the party, and if he wins, I'll remain a member."

Responding to the police's interrogation of Iris Boker under caution, due to threats she made against the wife of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, MK Moshe Yaalon wrote In Twitter that it was yet another proof of police and government corruption."The questioning of Iris Boker under caution and the sharp criticism she has endured at the hands of the police are just more evidence of the way this 'Ohana police' operates," he wrote, referring to Internal Security Minister Amir Ohana, seen as a close ally of the Prime Minister."This is an illegal interrogation that harms the principle of freedom of expression, and its aim is to shut people's mouths via intimidation. It would be fitting for this incident to be investigated," he added.

Responding to criticism leveled against her by former Meretz MK Zahava Galon, former Justice Minister MK Ayelet Shaked said that the truth was totally the opposite of what Galon alleged.Galon had accused Shaked of "being a coalition member together with a Health Minister who was suspected of threatening psychiatrists in order to protect a person accused of pedophilia.""Total lies," responded Shaked. "As Justice Minister, I did everything I could to have this person extradited to Australia [to face charges there] and we did all that was possible to advance the case. People close to Malka Leifer [the suspect] tried to make a negative campaign against me, but if you can lie, why not? As an aside, I'll add that Litzman [the Health Minister Galon was referring to] never approached me regarding this matter, even though he knew that I was doing all I could to ensure the extradition proceeded."

The CEO of the Rashi Foundation, Michal Cohen, a member of the advisory committee to coronavirus project manager Ronni Gamzu, has warned that due to the latest increases in morbidity statistics, the government must now choose between immediate targeted restrictions and a full closure."The cabinet's choice is between immediate local restrictions and a full national closure within a few weeks," she said. "We must do everything we can to avoid another shutdown of the economy which would be fatal for the economy - and this can still be avoided. Courageous decision-making is needed, and now."Cohen added that, "There is no example of another country in the world behaving in this way at the current level of morbidity - every other country would have imposed a full closure long ago. Israel is trying to avoid it in every possible way and that is the right thing to do. Cabinet members would do well to allow Prof. Gamzu to implement the traffic light plan, because the alternative is much harsher steps," she concluded.

Head of the Balad party, MK Mtanes Shihadeh, told Kan Bet this morning that it is vital that the government steps up enforcement of coronavirus restrictions among the Arab population in order to stem the spread of the epidemic."The spread of the coronavirus epidemic in this 'second wave' is extremely worrying," he said. "Until now, we haven't seen concrete facts In the ground - no effective publicity campaign in Arabic, and no significant increase in the number of tests conducted in 'red' areas. Arab communities have no experience in dealing with an emergency like this," he added. "We have to step up enforcement and monitoring of the situation."