Israel erupts in anger at Benjamin Netanyahu’s failings on coronavirus

Disillusionment with his handling of the coronavirus has given renewed energy to protests against Benjamin Netanyahu.

Protesters gather outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem at the weekend. Picture: AFP

Disillusionment with the Israeli government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis has given renewed energy to protests against Benjamin Netanyahu, posing a new threat to his leadership.

Police in Israel have made a string of arrests in a protest camp in Jerusalem that has fuelled unrest, with complaints against the Prime Minister’s handling of the pandemic escalating into calls for his resignation. His economic record has been criticised and there is outrage over the corruption charges he faces.

Tamir Gay-Tsabary, 56, who travels from south Israel to the protests in Jerusalem every day, said the coronavirus renewed focus on Mr Netanyahu’s leadership faults. “He just cares for himself,” Mr Gay-Tsabary, a sales manager, said.

Mr Netanyahu won praise for his initial response to the virus. His government’s quick decisions in March to impose a lockdown took the daily case-count to a trickle by early May. However, the economic reopening that began in late April has led to an explosion in transmission, with daily tallies of between 1000 and 2000 new cases in recent weeks.

Israeli medical workers in protective gear at the Sheba Medical Centre, the country's largest hospital, near the coastal city of Tel Aviv. Picture: AFP

A protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem on Saturday, which at one stage is estimated to have comprised up to 10,000 people, was eventually broken up in the early hours of Sunday with the use of water cannon. Earlier other protesters gathered on motorway bridges around the country, with further demonstrations in Tel Aviv and, for the first time, outside Mr Netanyahu’s family home in the town of Caesarea.

Police reacted less aggressively than they did last week, when their strongarm tactics alongside the use of water cannon were attacked by opposition politicians. They waited until two hours after the deadline given for the end of the rally outside the Prime Minister’s residence before moving in, surrounding the remaining protesters and seizing the apparent leaders first.

Police said that they had made 12 arrests for alleged public order and assault offences. Several of those detained were Netanyahu supporters who attacked protesters, with one receiving a small stab wound to the neck.

Mr Netanyahu, 70, was able to continue his record-breaking term of office after indecisive March elections by submitting to a coalition with his main rival, Benny Gantz.

Since the boost to his popularity from the successful initial response to the coronavirus, however, the improvement in his ratings has reversed.

The country is now seen to have lifted lockdown too early. Israel, which has a population of about nine million, is in the top 10 countries for new infections per capita, although it has registered fewer than 500 deaths in total.

Unemployment shot up as the coronavirus hit. As the economy has failed to recover with the easing of lockdown measures the government remains caught between reimposing restrictions to halt the disease and fear of exacerbating the situation. Unemployment has jumped to more than 20 per cent, from about 3.9 per cent before the outbreak.

Anger has grown over the government’s financial assistance plans, which have been criticised for providing a pittance or nothing at all. Israel has since reimposed some restrictions.

Public Security Minister Amir Ohana promised tougher action against the protesters, pointing out that it made little sense to allow demonstrations while cracking down on other public gatherings because of the coronavirus. “Is the virus so smart that it can tell the difference between gatherings for those purposes and a demonstration?” he said on Sunday. “The answer is ‘No.’”

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