@10,000 anti-Netanyahu demonstrators in Jerusalem Aug 1, 2020
Summer's heat may have descended upon Israel, with temperatures soaring over 100° F, but that didn't stop nightly protests of thousands, gathered on Balfour street in Jerusalem opposite the Prime Minister's residence, calling for PM Netanyahu to resign. Anti-Netanyahu protests were also held in Tel Aviv and other cities around the country.
Saturday night's demonstration was peaceful, and went on late into the night. One demonstrator interviewed on Kan Channel 11 TV news said, "Now the Likud supporters and Netanyahu are calling me an 'anarchist' and a 'leftist. When I protest because of the economy and unemployment they call me a 'bum' and lazy.'"
Earlier in the week, a dozen pro-Netanyahu hooligans, members of the violent "La Famila" group of Beitar Jerusalem soccer fans, showed up at at a demonstration and attacked the protesters reportedly with sticks, pepper spray, bricks, and even a knife. Five of the attackers were arrested over the next few days. Pundits speculated that the thugs were sent to attack the protesters by pro-Likud activists, if not Netanyahu himself.
One protest took place in front of the Tel Aviv high-rise where Police Minister Amir Ohana lived. Ohana, had called for the police to disperse the demonstrators from the streets around Netanyahu's official Jerusalem residence. But a police spokesman said that Ohana had no authority to issue orders to the police only to set administrative guidelines. Critics also said the police were complacent earlier in the week in the face of the "La Familia" attack, a claim denied by the police.
Observers also complained that at the beginning of the week police were using water canons to disperse the crowds even though the demonstrators had a permit for their protests. After a media uproar the canons were withdrawn and police were quick to stop attacks on the protesters.
Moshe Shlonsky, a veteran Israeli military reporter and commentator, opined on Galei Zahal army radio that the protests would not unseat Netanyahu. He would be forced from office only through democratic elections. Other analysts said that the odds of Netanyahu resigning in the face of these protests was slim.
One academic said that the problem with protests in Israel was consistency. He said that unlike the USA where a protest movement, like that against the Vietnam war, was sustained over a long period of time, he doubted if Israelis had that kind of patience. However, a massive protest is expected again on Saturday night. Police said they'd be on the lookout for hooligans like 'La Familia' who were bent on disrupting the protests.
"Anarchists" is the new word is now being used by pro-Netanyahu activists. Frequently the word "Anarchists" is coupled with "Leftists" to describe those protesting against what placards call the "Crime Minister." Netanyahu is on trial for three felonies ranging from bribery to breach of public trust. A recent poll said that the percentage of people who have faith in
Netanyahu's ability to handle the COVID-19 crises has fallen to 26%.
The "Anarchists" come from all sectors of Israeli society, young and old, right-wing Likud supporters and left-wing socialists. Politicians, like right-wing Moshe 'Bogie' Ayalon, were also among the demonstrators. Ayalon, a former Minister of Defense and IDF Chief of Staff, could hardly be called a leftist or an anarchist.
One thing that unites these protesters, according to pundits, is the economy. Unemployment is now over 20% and many of the protesters are among those unemployed. The government has promised stipends but the payments have been slow to overcome the crushing bureaucracy. The latest move trumpeted by Netanyahu was a grant of 750 shekels, @$230, per person, and an additional 500 shekels (@$150 shekels per child) for the first child and 300 shekels (@$85) for each other child. Israelis earning more than 600,000 shekels (@$170,000) a year would not qualify for the stipend. This is a necessary step since according to the Central Bureau of Statistics 55% of all Israelis fear their ability to pay their monthly bills.
There is a hiccup on the horizon. The state budget must be approved by August 25, 2020 or new elections are automatically scheduled for November. As of now Netanyahu and Alternate PM Gantz are at loggerheads. Netanyahu wants a budget for only 2020, which means until the end of this year, while Gantz says that the coalition agreement signed by Netanyahu when forming the Corona Coalition calls for a two-year budget that would extend through 2021.
Should that two-year budget not be passed Gantz fears that Netanyahu will not live up to his agreement to turn the reigns over to Gantz when the time comes to step aside and let Gantz become PM as previously agreed. Gantz is scheduled to become prime minister on November 17, 2021.
Analysts say Netanyahu is indeed aiming for new elections, something Netanyahu has lately denied. Pundits say that Netanyahu is figuring that Gantz's party has shrunk for over 30 Knesset seats to about 9. New elections, these pundits believe, will give Netanyahu a firm majority in the Knesset and allow him to pass legislation keeping him in power even while on trial three days a week beginning in January.
Some speculate that if there are no new elections Gantz would ultimately support a bill demanding Netanyahu resign as Alternate PM once the witnesses began appearing in court on Jan 1, 2021. Some analysts say Netanyahu's fears that a bill would be brought to the Knesset declaring him 'incompetent' to serve as PM since he'd be spending so much time in
court and fighting the charges against him. If so, and he is proved
incompetent to serve, he would be forced to resign.
Critics also say that Netanyahu has not been focused on fighting the pandemic, but has been more concerned with the trial, keeping his position, getting tax breaks, and annexing parts of the West Bank, which he has since apparently dropped. Gantz has insisted that he joined the coalition to fight the pandemic. And will stay to do so, but go to elections if necessary.
Meanwhile, Israel has crept up from #55 in the list of countries infected by COVID-19 to #34. Over 70,000 people have been infected making Israel the 6th most infected country per capita in the world. The daily infection rate now hovers near 2,000. Over 500 people have died and one expert said he expects another 200 deaths in the coming 3 weeks because of high infection rate over the last month. Corona wards at the four major Israeli hospitals are full.
Experts blame the too-speedy reopening of the economy and the lack of an effective contact-tracing program as the main factors in the virus' resurgence. Israel is also sorely understaffed by medical professions with only one epidemiologist for ever 300,00 people.
Enter Prof. Ronni Gamzo who was appointed this week to be the "Corona Czar." Gamzo was introduced to the Israeli public on TV on Tuesday evening by PM Netanyahu, Minister Edelstein and alternate PM Gantz. Gamzo, former director general of the ministry of health and current head of Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital, took the job after three other candidates refused due to the lack of autonomy they'd be granted. Gamzo will answer to Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, Healthy Ministry Director-General Chezi Levi and deputy director general Itamar Grotto.
In his first TV appearance Gamzo gave an impassioned speech, using a power point presentation, showing how he planned to take control of the fight against the pandemic. He said there would be more oversight and transparency. He said that the contact-tracing would be handed over to the army, who were better prepared for the task than the health ministry. He said that local authorities would have more autonomy in dealing with the pandemic. And that he would designate red, orange and green cities, so that the local municipalities could decide what to open and what to close. Red cities would be under the control of Homeland Command.
He also said he would appoint a committee of experts to help decide which steps to take. Among those on the committee would be Prof. Barabash, Prof. Balicer and others who have been critical of the government's tactics fighting the virus.(Barabash was one of those who turned down the Czar post) However, analysts say that the real decisions would ultimately be made by PM Netanyahu as they are now.
Gamzo has already run into trouble. Chezi Levi, Dir-gen of the Health Ministry has said that Gamzo must clear all decisions through him. Then Minister Edelstein would have to sign off on the moves, and then PM Netanyahu. On the way there is the "corona cabinet" that has been making decisions that Israelis have found confusing. Netanyahu recently cut the number on the committee from 16 to 10. He also fired the chairperson of the committee, Shasha Biton, a Likud appointee, for ignoring his directives.
The confusion among the public was rampant. Those interviewed said, "One day the swimming pools were open, the next day a decision came to close them. One day the gyms were closed, the next day opened. Restaurants could open with limited seating but the numbers kept changing." Gamzo said from now on there would be no confusion. He was in charge. Time will tell if he can muster the authority he needs to streamline the decision making process.
Gamzo has also said that he would increase the testing to 60,000 a day within two months and 100,000 a day by the winter. To accelerate the testing process Israel has begun to purchase a new type of device that provides results within 15-minutes, even though those results are only 80% effective. Experts say that given the expected swarm of new infections, these tests will provide alacrity in identifying those infected and those who have been in contact with those infected.
Gamzo also said that he would open the schools on September 1, 2020. This announcement met with severe criticism by many experts. According to health professionals, 65% of all infections are spread in the home. They also say that children 11-19 are the primary carriers. Many experts claim that children under 11 are not a risk, however new research seems to prove otherwise.
In a New York Times article by Aproova Mandavilli, children may carry covid-19 at high levels. Children under 5 may have as much as 100x the virus than adults. The report centers on a study done at Chicago's Lurie Children's hospital. According to the study, which was small and limited, children 1-11 may transmit as much virus as adults even if they are asymptomatic. "We are going to be reopening day care and elementary schools," said Dr. Juliet Morrison, a virologist at the University of California, Riverdale. If those results hold up, she said, "Then yeah, I'd be worried."
Most of the second wave of the virus is attributed to opening up the economy and schools too soon. Even if small children are kept in 'capsules' of limited numbers, each isolated from the other, pundits believe it will be impossible to keep these small children from mixing. The same goes for older children and young adults. The latter have been celebrating publicly on beaches and in parks not only in Israel but also in the USA. The results of these parties has been a spike in infections. While young people are not as high risk as older adults or those with underlying conditions they do act as conduits spreading the virus.
One of the positive results of the pandemic, though, is the drop in the incidence of the flu. Most people wear masks, observe social distancing and hygiene. Health experts stress that should the majority of the population follow these simple rules the pandemic can be contained just as the incidence of flu has been reduced.
While protests continue in Israel and on the streets of the USA it is unclear what effect they will have on their respective governments. Pundits say that Netanyahu is upset by the protests. "He wants to be loved," said one analyst. In the USA, President Trump also revels in the adulation of the crowds. Neither man wants to give up their power.
President Trump has been harshly criticized for sending in federal troops to quell incessant protests against him. It has been suggested that President Trump may try to influence the US Postal Service, run by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, one of his donors and a staunch Trump supporter, to muddy the process of the mail-in ballots for the November election.
Netanyahu, for his part, is trying to use his minions to quell the rising voices calling for his dismissal. Time will tell if anything done on the streets will dent the enormous egos of these two men. But what is clear, both countries are in for more stormy nights.
