Apoll by a non-partisan body ~ the Israel Democracy Institute ~ last week showed that only 29.5 per cent of his people trusted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the coronavirus crisis in his country. This collapse of faith has been accompanied by almost daily demonstrations in Israel as young people, especially, take to the streets against a leader many have for some time considered corrupt and who now they think is also incompetent.
Last weekend, they laid siege to Mr Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem forcing police to use water cannon to disperse them. High unemployment, a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases and the re-imposition of curbs have angered many Israelis. Add to this, the charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust against the Prime Minister, for which he went on trial in May, and the circle of disillusionment is complete.
Protests were also reported from Tel Aviv. Some 21 per cent of Israel’s citizens are now unemployed and they are clearly angry with the conduct of a government that they feel has let them down. With a population of 9 million, Israel has reported more than 50,000 Covid cases and 400 plus deaths. The protests came even as Mr Netanyahu’s trial commenced on Sunday after a two-month break forced by the epidemic.
Mr Netanyahu had been indicted in November on charges that ranged from accepting gifts from millionaire friends to allegedly seeking regulatory favours for media tycoons in return for political favours. He has denied the charges. Amid the corruption allegations, Mr Netanyahu had succeeded in stitching together a tenuous alliance with his main political rival, Benny Gantz, after three inconclusive elections since last year.
Hailed as “King Bibi” and described by his supporters as a magician for his knack in winning political battles, the 70-year-old Mr Netanyahu retains a hard core of followers who believe he is the best man to keep Israel safe from hostile forces in the Middle-east and take a hard line on Palestine. A former elite commando in the Israeli Army, Mr Netanyahu is his country’s longest serving leader, testimony to both his fighting spirit and his ability to manipulate politics to suit his pursuit of power.
He survived the Obama years in the White House, when he received a public dressing down for his criticism of the deal with Iran, but thrived during the Trump presidency when the United States, to the fury of the Middle-east, both recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.
As Mr Trump’s presidency winds down and with American public opinion veering against him, Mr Netanyahu may be about to lose his most ardent supporter. That may well coincide with the conclusion of the trial he faces. But while things might appear grim for the Israeli leader, his detractors would do well not to start drafting his epitaph just yet.