Cracks in the Wall

US President Trump' isn't the only leader who's popularity is sliding down a slippery slope like a toboggan in the snow. His popularity is now at 38% and falling. His niece Dr. Mary Trump, a PhD in psychology,   has a new 'tell all' 'behind-the-scenes' book citing the president's inability to govern based on his severely flawed personality and past performance. Dr. Trump's book won't help him in the polls, observers say.

Israel's PM Netanyahu seems to be faring no better. With the enormous pressure caused by the second wave of the COVID-10 roaring into Israel, cracks are beginning to appear in the wall Prime Minister Netanyahu has built around himself. Infection rates in Israel have jumped up to 32,714 with over 1,000 new infections a day. Yesterday 1300 a day were recorded over a 24-hour period. The number of deaths has risen to nearly 350. Reportedly, the health ministry cannot cope with the the number of tests requested. Per capita, Israel has become one of the more infected countries in the world. Experts predict even scarier numbers to come. The blame rests with Netanayhu, experts say, for not focusing on a possible second wave and taking steps to contain it.

This is in stark contrast to the days when the world looked to Israel as a shining light in the fight against the virus with Netanyahu as the champion.  But, according to experts, Israel rush to reopen the bars, restaurants, wedding halls and schools was caused by giving into popular pressure, and that of big business, created the current outbreak that has swamped the health system. This increase in infections has turned Israel from a shining light, with hope for hi-tech and bio tech solutions to the pandemic, to a disappointment. Experts say yet another cause of the second wave was not only the Israeli public's' restlessness and refusal to obey the rules of masks and social distancing and hygiene, but the lack of a concerted public information campaign expounding the dangers of ignoring the regulations.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein met with Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz, who is Defense Minister and alternate Prime Minister, to discuss establishing a special commission to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak sweeping over Israel like a raging river. They agreed to appoint a special "director" of this commission who would be responsible for leading the fight against the virus coordinating all the various ministries and bodies and acting as supreme manager of the response. Reportedly, PM Netanyahu was furious when Defense Minister Gantz raised the idea in the cabinet meeting. As of now, Netanyahu has been the de facto "director" of the fight against the Coronavirus.

Netanyahu's efforts to run the government as an emergency "Coronavirus government" have also run into trouble. Defense Minister Gantz said recently he joined the coalition to fight the virus and that hasn't been the real focus of Netanyahu's efforts.

Yariv Levin, speaker of the Knesset and a long-time Netanyahu defender, said that there are those who are trying to upend the government. Levin did not name anyone, specifically, but observers say that the reference to Gantz and Edelstein were not too well disguised.

Gantz said that the Homeland Command was able and willing to help fight the virus since the health ministry was overwhelmed. One analysts point out that the health ministry' emergency switchboard dealing with inquiries was a quagmire. One woman speaking on Israel Radio's Galei Tzahal said she'd spent 8 hours waiting on the phone for someone in the ministry to answer and finally got a busy signal. While she was on the line the announcer asked her to call the health ministry, which she did. He checked back with her every few minutes and after forty minutes she reported her call had been dropped and she'd received a busy signal, again.

Gantz said the Homeland Command could handle the phone calls, and run testing centers, deliver food and supplies, and fill other vital functions. As of now, a bureaucratic cat's cradle has prevented a successful battle plan.  Public Health Chairman of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Sigal Sadetzki resigned yesterday and said that her recommendations had been ignored, and that the process of fighting the COVID-19 had been befouled by forums, committees, and politics. Others criticized her for eschewing the importance of testing and blamed her for not dealing effectively with the crises.They asked if she resigned voluntarily or was asked to resign. She follows her boss former boss, Moshe Siman Tov, ex-director general of the health minister, out of a building.

One pundit said that we are now in a real war and that during wars there are inconveniences.  During the Blitz over London from '40 to '41 or the battles and bombing in Europe during WWII, inconvenience became a way of life. During that war men were gone from home for years. In Israel, during the '73 Yom Kippur war, men were away from home for six-months. Today, inconvenience means masks, social distancing, hygiene, temperatures taken at the entrance to a supermarket, a tradesman cancelling an appointment, a vacation postponed, or wiping down the groceries with alcohol. Hopefully, said the pundit, things don't get so bad that the today's inconvenience becomes a daily reality that stretches for years.

Critics say that Netanyahu has failed in this war against COVID-19. They point out that he was more interested in his annexation plan for the west bank than fighting the virus. One pundit pointed out that previously, when Netanyahu was in trouble, he used big issues to distract the public's attention from his troubles. The release of Gilad Shalit from captivity by Hamas in Gaza happened in 2011 when he was beset with street protests concerning the high cost of living. This time, they said, he tried to use annexation as a diversion but no one was interested.

Netanyahu's disconnect with the reality on the ground has begun to tear the fabric of his support. One restaurant owner, interviewed on Israel Radio's Reshet Bet, said that with a nearly a million Israelis unemployed, Netanyahu was more focused on annexation than on the welfare of the people. "He's a liar," said the restaurant owner. "I was a Likud voter for 25 years, but no more." He said,"He's talking about annexation and his taxes when there are people without food."

Netanyahu's trial on three felonies is now in the boring technical filing stages and has not been pushed off the front pages by the COVID-19 epidemic. Netanyahu has not been requested to appear in court since the first day of the trial. Meanwhile, one of his legal team, high-powered and expensive attorney Micha Fettman announced today he was resigning from the legal team. One analyst said the resignation followed the Ombudsman's decision to deny Netanyahu funding for his legal defense from outside sources. Netanyahu had asked for approval of a nearly $3 million donation from a wealthy American supporter. The Ombudsman's office also demanded Netanyahu return $30,000 he'd already received from another friend who gave the PM money to help pay for his defense.

However, last week the Kan public broadcaster reported that Fettman was expected to resign in a tactic to delay that hearing. Netanyahu's second hearing in his trial on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes is set to take place on July 19.

Before the outbreak of this new wave of infection Netanyahu was the hero of the battle and his standing had risen in the polls to 40 seats in the Knesset. Now polls give the Likud only 36 seats, and falling. Netanyahu's request for a income tax exemption of nearly $300,000, claiming that expenses on his private home and other private expenses should be paid by the government were met with smiles by the media. The fact that the Israel edition of Forbes magazine estimated the prime minister’s personal wealth at 50 million shekels ($13.9 million), making him one of the richest, if not the richest Prime Minister in Israel's history, didn't sit well with those people struggling to pay their bills. Still, the Ombudsman's office approved these expenses. The public, other than the die-hard Likud supporters, were not pleased.

However, as seen by his slip in the polls, the public was disenchanted with Netanyahu's focus on his own finances when nearly a million people were out of work and the finance ministry was creakily slow in paying promised compensation. Netanyahu came off as selfish, claiming a tax exemption while every night on the news businessmen, large and small, complained they had a wall of bureaucracy to face to qualify for help, and then it was in the form of a loan, not a grant. More complaints than compliments for the government's handling of the economic disaster brought on by the COVID-19.

Another crack in the wall seems to be Yisrael Katz, the new Finance Ministry. Reports have surfaced that Katz, a staunch defender of Netanyahu up to now, wants to draw up his own COVID-19 budget, something that up has been Netanyahu's bailiwick. Analysts say that Katz, has ambitions to become prime minister, and these moves may be just like sharks smelling blood in the water.

Likud MK and former Jerusalem mayor Nir Barakat has come up with his own plan to stabilize the economy. Barakat said the best approach was to think creatively, an anathema to the bureaucrats in the Finance Ministry whose role was usually to keep as much money as they could in the treasury, and pay out the money due to those in need quickly. This, said Barakat, would give the economy momentum and once back on track those who received the recompense would repay the government in taxes from their improved earnings.

Netanyahu's legal woes are nowhere near over. Netanyahu has attacked another front in his battle to stay out of jail.  Netanyahu’s Likud party said today it would vote in favor of far-right MK Bezalel Smotrich’s proposal to establish a Knesset committee to investigate judges’ alleged conflicts of interest.

Knesset Speaker Levin, a longtime critic of Israel’s judicial system, applauds the proposal to form a parliamentary committee to probe judges’ alleged conflicts of interest.“The days in which the Knesset feared to criticize the judicial system are over,” Levin wrote on his Facebook page. 

The Likud move drew harsh criticism from his coalition partners in the Blue and White party. “A vote in favor of establishing an investigative committee for judges is a declaration of war against Israeli democracy,” Justice Minister Avi Nissankorn of the Blue and White party said in a statement. Reportedly, the Blue and White party, which has slipped down to only nine seats, would oppose the formation of the committee and is lobbying lawmakers in Netanyahu’s party to vote against it.

Defense Minister Gantz slammed the inquiry announcement. “Instead of dealing with the unemployed and self-employed, Likud is requesting to investigate judges. Instead of dealing with the economic failure, they’re creating a moral failure,” Gantz wrote on Twitter.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, also of Blue and White, hinted that should the investigation into judges goes through then Blue and White would withdraw from the coalition forcing new elections. Given the present climate, analysts are doubtful that Netanyahu would favor new elections. However, should he be able to patch the cracks in the wall around him as he has brilliantly done in the past, he could well be elected to a new term.

Shas party leader Interior Minister Aryeh Deri warned Netanyahu not to vote for the approval of the investigation of the judges saying it would lead to new elections, something Deri was firmly against.

Later in the day the Knesset defeated the motion to investigate the judges.

But, said one analyst, the pressure on the wall caused by COVID-19 and Netanyahu's legal problems could cause the crack to widen until the wall gives in to the pressure and overwhelms him.What happens then is a free-for-all. Hopefully, said the analyst, a white knight will appear in shining armor to fight and destroy the COVID-19 epidemic sweeping Israel. Such things do happen in a crises.

Meanwhile, the race for a vaccine and even a cure for the COVID-19 is going full blast. Should a vaccine or a cure be found soon the rest of the issues will be blown away like flakes of ash floating in a strong breeze. Sooner or later these cures and vaccines will arrive. For now, we're stuck with the inconveniences. Experts say, be  extremely careful. Wear a mask. Keep a social distance, and hope for the best.