Stormy Nights

@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 After a media uproar the canons were withdrawn and police were quick to stop attacks on the protesters.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.

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Shaking in the Wind

                Protest outside PM Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence

This week saw nearly nightly protests outside PM Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence. Each time thousands of demonstrators filled the streets calling for the PM to resign. Netanyahu and his followers waved off the demonstrators as ‘left-wing radicals.’ However, the demonstrators were reportedly from across the political spectrum. Netanyahu, on trial for three felonies, appeared unmoved by the protests but analysts say that was just posturing.

Miki Zohar, chairman of the Likud party’s Knesset faction, and Netanyahu’s unofficial spokesperson, has called for the police to ban demonstrations outside the PM’s residence. Zohar has replaced David Biton as Netanyahu’s voice to the media when complaining about things like the protests that would be untoward for a Prime Minister. Zohar replaced Biton after the latter was indicted for corruption and forced to resign his Knesset seat. (A Prime Minister under indictment has no such obligation.)

According to Ynetnews, Amir Ohana, Public Security Minister and a die-hard Netanyahu supporter, accused the police of being “too soft” on demonstrators. This, even though the police used water canons and mounted police in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Ohana’s ministry oversees the police but only in so far as setting policy. According to a channel 13 tv report, the ministry does not have any legal authority over decisions related to the police.

The demonstrators had a permit that expired at 11:00 PM but frequently overstayed the time limit. That’s when the police moved in with force to drive the demonstrators away from the PM’s residence. Over 50 people were detained on Thursday night.

The COVID-19 pandemic was ostensibly the main complaint of the protesters, many young and now unemployed, according to reports. Nearly one million Israelis are now unemployed, 21% of the population. The other complaint was the government’s apparent inability to effectively combat the virus. The number of Israelis infected tipped over 2,000 a day twice this week, with nearly 58,000 people infected and nearly 450 deaths. 300 people are in critical condition and nearly 35,000 have an active virus.

Likud stalwarts have dropped strong hints that Netanyahu will seek new elections, to be held in November. However, Netanyahu’s standing in the polls has slipped precipitously. Two weeks ago polls showed Netanyahu’s Likud party with 40 Knesset seats. That number has slipped back down to 32 seats. While he could cobble together another coalition with 63 seats, according to analysts, so could the opposition.

Amnon Abramovitch, political commentator on Channel 12 news, speculated that Neftali Bennet of the Yamina party, with 15 seats, and Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid, also with 15 seats, might join forces since Lapid wants to move further right and Bennet further left. Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party has slipped down to only 9 seats. And Telem, Moshe ‘Bougie’ Ayalon’s party has 8 seats. while Avigdor Leiberman of the Israel Beitanu party, with 8 seats will still be the kingmaker.

However, 55 seats is still not enough to beat Netanyahu’s 63 seats, as of this weeks polls. Abramovitch speculates that with the Corona Virus still rampant, Netanyahu could slip further in the polls and make the elections more of a slugfest than a walk in the park.

(Screen capture not a video) Amnon Abramovitch, Channel 12 political commentator

    (Screen capture not a video) Amnon Abramovitch, Channel 12 political commentator
Netanyahu’s approval rating has dropped from 74% at the start of the pandemic in March to just 38% in July. 58% disapprove of how Netanyahu handled the crises. A month ago the numbers were just about equal. Channel 12 news called this “The heart of the problem facing Netanyahu.”
Analyst say the public is confused over the regulations. Restaurants were to close, then that closure was postponed. Swimming pools were closed, then reopened. Gyms open on Sunday, again. Critics say that the government has not found a firm line and acted on it but changes with the bloated cabinet and various egos at play.
Some experts say that a complete closure is the only way to stop the virus from spreading. According to Ynetnews, Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam, a specialist in the quantitative analysis of pandemics and head of New England Complex Systems Institute, says lockdown is sole answer to rapid spread of COVID-19, and was effective in more than 50 countries

To counter the public’s lack of confidence in the way the government is handling the pandemic, Netanyahu announced that at long last a “Corona Projector” (Administrator) has been appointed, one who does not adhere to the idea of a complete lockdown, according to reports.

Prof. Ronni Gimzo, head of Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, has agreed to take the job that three other candidates have turned down ostensibly because they were given a job with a tremendous amount of responsibility but not a commensurate amount of authority. Observers say this is an old formula developed in big business to derail a bureaucratic rival.

In a press conference on Thursday, Netanyahu said that Gimzo would receive all the backing he needed to take control of the forces fighting the virus. However, Gimzo will answer not to Netanyahu but to Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and his director-general Prof. Chezi Levi, and assistant director-general Prof. Itamar Grotto. Some pundits cite the British TV show “Yes, Minister” and believe that Grotto is the bureaucrat pulling the strings at the health ministry and was the one unwilling to give up control and allow others outside the health ministry to manage the pandemic crisis.

Channel 12 Chart showing Netanyahu’s popularity

Abramovitch thought Netanyahu might want to go to new elections as a way to postpone any action that would remove him from power before the rotation agreement with alternate PM Gantz comes into effect. New elections would also remove Gantz from his position as alternate prime minister, leaving Netanyahu as interim prime minister until a new PM was sworn in.

Netanyahu said yesterday that he does not want new elections. An opinion poll said that 74% of Israelis agreed with him and also didn’t want elections. However, another reason Netanyahu might force new elections is he fears US President Trump may lose the election in November. Although former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney believes Trump will win the election. Romney lost to Barak Obama. According to the Huffington Post, Romney misjudged Obama’s popularity.

Some observers say that Netanyahu and US president Trump have the same DNA except that Netanyahu is smarter. Both want to be in complete control. Both believe in their own infallibility.

Both are now finding their towers shaking in the wind.

Now What?

The COVID-19 cases in Israel has broken yet another record. Over 1,900 cases in a 24-hour period. Over 360 people have died so far and over 200 are in critical condition, nearly 60 on ventilators. The government is talking about reimposing a general lock down to quell the outbreak. So far nearly 45,000 Israelis have been infected. Three of Israel’s largest hospitals have reported they are over capacity. Others reportedly are at 82 %. The government announced that no COVID-19 tests would be administered to those asymptomatic. While other countries have fared far worse in pure numbers, Israel’s infection rate has become a problem. The blame is laid at the doorstep of the government. Critics say that the bloated cabinet cannot make decisions. And the decisions they do make are unclear to the general public.

An estimated 5,000 demonstrators gathered in front of the Prime Minister’s residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem the other night calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Netanyahu. “Bibi Go Home” read some of the signs. Others “Crime Minister.” As David Horowitz wrote in his opinion piece in the Times of Israel, the people have lost their trust in Israel’s leadership to steer the country through this crises.

Israel’s unemployment rate has risen to 21%, over 800,000 people. The media is rife with interviews of people who are in financial trouble. One of the channels had an interview with a women with five children who was being evicted. Another interview with a taxi driver in Eilat, a tourist destination with no tourists, who said the recent and late to arrive relief check he received from the government would leave him with @$40 to last for a month after paying rent, property tax, income tax, value added tax, and buying food for his family, if he could. Another interview with a guy running a small sandwich shop who had no business and had been fined twice, at $140 a pop, for stacking tables outside his restaurant. Horowitz called these fines “block-headed.”

Social workers are on strike for better pay. Hospital workers are threatening a strike. Critics say while the country has a high unemployment, up fro 4% to the present 21%, Netanayhu was busy fighting with the finance committee. Not over the salaries for the social workers. Not over compensation to the unemployed, who had been promised 7,500 shekels (@$2,200) but had not received nearly that amount.
Netanyahu was fighting for a personal tax exemption of $270,000 which he received.

Some analysts say that the problem is that the Finance Ministry cannot accept the fact that under the present situation Israelis cannot afford food. One person interviewed said he had a friend with a family and an empty refrigerator. The critics say that bureaucrats have a nice salary and pension and are inured to the sufferings of the general public.

Amir Haskel, a former air force general and one of the organizers of the protest on Balfour street, said the protest was meant to coincide with the storming of the Bastille in Paris in 1789. He wrote, in his twitter account, that “231 years ago the French revolution broke out with the motto ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’. We see to add to that ‘morality and justice.”

Carrying torches protestors stormed the barricades. The protest turned violent. Police and protesters clashed. Water canons appeared. 50 protesters were arrested, most were later released and three were put on house arrest. One protester was 88 years old. An old Palmach fighter who had been a hero of the war of liberation in 1948. He told Razi Barkai on Galei Tzahal army radio that his daughter drove him to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv to protest. “This is not the country I fought for,” he said.

In an apparent response to the protest, the first violent anti-government protest Israel has seen in decades, Netanyahu appeared on TV last night with what was, according to critics, a panacea to the protesters. He promised a stipend to every taxpaying citizen of @$220. Appeasement, said his critics. Paying rich and poor, said another. He encountered resistance from the Finance Ministry who wondered where the 6 billion shekels would come from.

Others wondered why a more reasoned approach wasn’t taken, using the Bituach Leuimi (Israel’s social security administration) and the income tax authority’s data bases, and provide money only to those in need and not to those who didn’t need. Bibi, said one pundit, was running scared.

Netanyahu said, in response to the critics, that he’d been a Finance Minister, and made the economy a success. He was in touch with leading economists on how to handle the current crises and he would succeed. Coincidentally, Stanley Fisher, former Governor of the Bank of Israel, now assistant head of the Federal Reserve, was in Israel last week. Some speculate if Fisher wasn’t called in to advise Netanyahu, and if so, what his advise was, and if Netanyahu followed it.

Another criticism of the government is that a COVID-19 administrator was to have been appointed to manage the crises but so far no one has. Commentators say the reason is those asked to take the job, two former generals, said they would not be autonomous but would be forced to be subservient to the Ministry of Health, a body, most agree has been less than successful managing the crises. Most agree that Netanayhu has been the de facto administrator of the fight against the pandemic. And while his early moves were successful, the second wave has found him wanting. A Channel 13 poll said that 68% of the public thought he was doing a bad job facing the pandemic.

Israel’s National Security Council head Meir Ben Shabbat said, “The disease is spreading rapidly. An increased critical ill rate threatens the health system’s capacity.” He said that “additional manpower is needed immediately.” He said that the Finance Ministry should approve emergency payments to the hospitals for more staff and equipment, since both are in critically short supply.

Izhar Shay, Science and Technology Minister, had a way out of a complete lock down. Earlier in the day his chief science advisor Prof. Schwartz had been on Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet with a plan. Let people go to work. But they would be in lock down from seven at night until they went to work the next day. But, have a complete lock down over the weekend. Shay apparently took Schwatz’s advice and presented this plan to the Corona Cabinet.

The plan was not received enthusiastically, however, an emergency cabinet meeting was called on Thursday. There, the ministers agreed to impose a full national lock down on the population during weekends, shutter kindergartens, close restaurants (except for takeout and deliveries), limit indoor gatherings to 10 people and take a number of additional steps in an effort to halt spiraling corona virus infections, according to Hebrew media reports.

Netanyahu, in a TV appearance the other night, admitted he’d made mistakes. That opening up the country too early had caused the current wave of infections. Swimming pools were opened, at first only in hotels and then also the municipal pools. Gyms were reopened. Bars and restaurants but limited to only 20 people indoors. The new regulations will close the gyms, again, and the bars, again, and the pools, again, in hopes of reining in the virus. The economic impact will be harsh. Those establishments that are closed are still liable to pay rent, taxes, and employees, even a skeleton staff. The government’s promise of relief came, according to critics,  too little and too late.

Former Army Chief of Staff now Defense Minister Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party, has called on the government to turn the management of the war on the virus over to the army. “That’s what the army does, fight wars,” he said in a TV appearance. Pundits say that politics would stop that idea dead in its tracks. Netanyahu would not turn management of the war over to Gantz, his alternate prime minister, nor would he turn it over to an administrator. Netanyahu will hold the reins himself. For good or bad.

Until he can’t, say analysts. The protesters claimed Netanyahu was not invested by the people to serve since he was under indictment for three felonies. He shouldn’t have been allowed to run, said one protester. He should have resigned, said another. He doesn’t have the right to be prime minister, said another. But he is. And then there’s his trial. The pandemic and the economy have diverted the public’s attention from his trial. The US administration, said the media reports, was not interested is supporting Netanyahu’s plans for annexation “at this time.” So that card too has been put back in the deck. 

One radio commentator reminded the public that there was still a fourth case hovering over Netanyahu’s head: Case 4,000. The $2 billion submarine purchase deal where Netanyahu’s cousin, also his personal attorney, and another former general, are facing an indictment for taking kickbacks worth tens of millions of dollars from the German submarine manufacturer ThyssenKrup . The commentator speculated that this case, too, would eventually engulf Netanyahu as well.

The protest organizers have promised another demonstration. How many can the government survive before it becomes clear that a change is necessary. What that change is, who knows? Perhaps Netanyahu will turn his office over to Gantz, the alternate Prime Minister. In the mean time, most of the pundits ask the same question: “What Now?” But no one but Netanyahu seems to have the answer.

Crack 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 his 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.

Vlad to the Rescue

Israel has seen a significant spike in infections with a jump of 859 new cases since Tuesday morning, the largest number since the start of the outbreak. Also, according to the ministry of health, the percentage of cases testing positive so far on Wednesday is over 5 percent. Israel today has 25, 547 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with the number of serious cases at 56, number of patients on ventilators at 24 and the number of deaths at 320.

Compared to other countries Israel is not doing so badly, coming in 50th on the list of countries infected. Belgium, with a similar population to Israel is 27th. Sweden, also similar population to Israel is 23rd. But Austria, again with similar population is 55th. So, while Israel isn’t doing as bad as some countries, the situation is still not good. Nearly 1,000,000 Israelis are unemployed. Channel 11 Kan ran a report of a family being evicted. The father of two, an unemployed hi-tech guy in his 30’s, cried on camera when he bemoaned the fact he couldn’t pay the rent and had no income nor any family to turn to.

The economic situation is at odds with the health issue. A lock-down creates a meltdown of the economy. Allowing people to roam without restrictions threatens to spread the virus exponentially. So far Israel’s solution is to consider a partial lock-down focusing on those areas that have become hotspots like Dimona, Kiryat Gat, Ashdod and Ramle.
According to Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, speaking to the Jerusalem Post, a closure in Israel like the one at the end of March and in April is not on the table. However, to avoid a lock-down Israel would have to do a better job cutting the infection chain. To do that Israelis would need to follow regulation and the government would have to identify the red zones. Edelstein also said Israel needs to do more testing. Since he took over his job testing has increased from 10,000 a day to 17,000 by expanding the parameters who qualifies to be tested.  TV reports say a turf battle is the cause, with the ministry of health fighting with the ministry of finance.
The Health Ministry issued new regulations, effective immediately: weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs (or similar religious events) will be limited to 250 people. All other events, including circumcision ceremonies and communal prayer, will be capped at 50 people.After July 10 and until at least July 31, weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs that take place indoors shall be limited to no more than 50% of the capacity of the venue, with no more than 100 people in attendance. Events in open spaces can continue to have 250 guests.
Israel has increased the fines for those caught not wearing masks, but a casual stroll through any Israeli town, down any street, sees many more adults without masks than with. The Health Ministry’s website reported that  according to the data, 137 people were infected on buses in the last week, 86 at supermarkets, 58 at restaurants, cafes and bakeries, 39 at malls and 32 at other stores. Another 22 were infected at pharmacies, 21 at event halls, 15 at workout centers and 11 at hospitals, among other places.

Prime Minister Netanyahu had been pushing for some type of annexation of the west bank. He was to make an announcement on July 1st, but apparently postponed or dropped the idea. Reportedly, he believed that the window of opportunity for annexation was open as long as Trump was in power. However, the EU and other countries warned of consequences if the annexation took place. Even Britain’s PM Boris Johnson, a friend of Israel, came out against the annexation.
Netanyahu’s coalition partner Benny Gantz said that the population was more concerned with unemployment than annexation. Many military men, past and present, have also warned of dire consequences. Pundits believe Netanyahu won’t give up, seeking to secure his legacy, but may wait for a more opportune time. Gantz has lost influence with Netanyahu and popularity with the public, who consider him a disappointment. Recent polls show his party would only garner 9 seats in the Knesset if new elections were held today. Netanyahu has been ignoring Gantz’s comments and objections. Some analysts think that Netanyahu wouldn’t mind new elections as they’d rid him of Gantz and divert the public’s attention from his trial.

As it is, Netanyahu is still on trial for three felonies from corruption, and bribery, to breach of public trust. The latest setback for Netanyahu was when Attorney General Mandelblit recommended that Netanyahu not be allowed to accept a “gift” of $2.5 million dollars from American real estate magnate Spencer Patrich to pay for his legal fees. Mandelblit’s reason was that Patrich was one of the witnesses in a case against Netanyahu and the “gift” would be a conflict of interests.  The Permits Committee of the State’s Comtroller’s Office had already denied a similar request, according to the Times of Israel, when another Netanyahu backer offered $300,000 towards the legal defense. However, the make up of the committee has changed since Netanyahu took office recently following the coalition deal with Gantz’s Blue and White party. A new comptroller was appointed by Netanyahu, and a new committee assembled Netanyahu resubmitted his request claiming “new evidence.”
Netanyahu’s response to Mandelblit’s recommendation was to launch a vitriolic tirade on Twitter, backed by scores of Likud activits’ tweets and posts, accusing Mandelblit of trying to oust him from his position as PM. Yesh Atid head Lapid called the accusations “incitement,” and former Chief of Staff and Defense Minister Moshe ‘Bougie’ Yaalon said that Netanyahu’s defamation of Mandelblit and the legal system, including the judges,  would “end in blood.” A clear reference to the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin.
And then there’s Russia. Is Trump a traitor, a Manchurian Candidate, or worse, just a fool? Writing in the New York Times,  Susan Rice, former US National Security Advisor and former US Ambassador to the UN, wondered why US President Trump was so accommodating to Russia. She wrote that Trump has dismissed charges of Russian influence in the 2016 election, even taking Putin’s word over that of the US Intelligence community; that Trump “obstructed” the Mueller investigation and distorted the findings; “recklessly removed US troops from northern Syria and allowed Russian forces to take over American bases.” And withdrew 1/3rd of the US troops from Germany “Harming NATO while benefiting Russia.”Rice concludes that Trump is either “derelict in his duties…putting our country and those who wear its uniform at risk” or is a “tryannical president who is actively advancing our arch adversary’s nefarious interests.”
With the world facing over half-a-million dead from COVID-19, with the US the leader in infections and deaths, pundits wonder what steps should be taken to halt the spread of the virus. Who should be in control of the fight. In Israel and in the US politics, pandering to the ‘base’ for elections and corruption trials seem to be more important than restraining the virus. Perhaps, for Israel, said one analyst, Gantz may be the right man in the right place at the right time if he can keep Netanyahu’s attention focused on fighting the pandemic and not on his personal aggrandizement and dangerous social media and legal maneuvers to keep himself out of jail.
Maybe his friend Vladimir can help him, as Rice claimed, he helped US President Trump.