Yesterday the Knesset passed the first reading of a law proposed by Minister Aryeh Deri that would allow City Council meetings to be held via video conferencing platforms such as ZOOM.

the proposed law is really a temporary amendment to the current law about city council meetings, and is being proposed to be in place until September, though that will likely be extended until December so as to be ready in the event of the feared "second wave" of Corona that might hit with the advent of the winter season.

The proposal passed unanimously and will be prepared for further readings and passage.

the necessity of this is clear. With the requirement for city councils to hold regular sessions to be able to function and provide services efficiently to residents, Corona regulations might prohibit physical meetings.

MK Moshe Abutbol (Shas) requested that the law being adopted include the ability not just to hold meetings but also to hold votes via video conferencing. Seems reasonable to me, especially because we are dealing with a scenario of an emergency situation.

sources: Behadrei, JDN