JERUSALEM — There are several reasons to wonder about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Is he losing it?
A prominent case is a series of tweets that he wrote against the decision of the Attorney General, that Bibi could not receive some 10 million shekels, about $2.9 million dollars, in a contribution from an overseas ally to be used to purchase his defense in a criminal trial.
Important in the Attorney General’s decision is that the expected donor was scheduled to be a witness in one of the cases against Netanyahu.
Bibi tweeted “once again it is revealed that there is one law for Netanyahu and another for everyone else. This is what a political investigation looks like, ending with a political indictment.”
A source in the Justice Minister commented, “If Netanyahu wants a [NIS] 10 million gift from a friend, he is welcome to resign and then he will be able to receive even [NIS] 20 million . . .This is a particularly high sum that we have no reason to approve. It’s an illicit gift.”
Bibi responded to this with “Mandelblit’s scheme to topple the leadership is exposed in all its ugliness . . . Amazingly and shamefully, senior Justice Ministry officials today called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to resign as a condition for being able to defend himself against the baseless indictment Mandelblit tailored against him . . .Mandelblit is trying to reverse the democratic decision of millions of citizens who chose Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister,”
Political opponents of Bibi were not lax in responding.
“the only attempted coup is Netanyahu’s attempt to turn Israel into a dictatorship, and his criminal attempt to turn Mandelblit into a target of threats and incitement.”
“Netanyahu, this will end in bloodshed! You won’t be able to say your hands didn’t spill this blood,”
Other indications of weakness appear in the Prime Minister’s lack of control over responses to a sharp increase in the incidence of Coronavirus infections. Meetings of the government and its Coronavoris Cabinet have gone on for days, with confusing decisions or no decisions taken on what Israel should be doing in order to curb the increase.
The media is filled with descriptions and debates about the increase. Advocates choose their indicators to show not only an increase in infections, but an increasing incidence in serious cases. Or the opposite: that increases are largely a product of more testing, and that serious cases remain more or less stable.
Resources are stretched thin. It may take four days between a test and its result. It’s not clear who will be tested. Towns and neighborhoods have been identified for limitations, but those are not all that clear, and implementation may be a problem.
Politics is apparent. Restaurants have been targeted, and limited to 20 patrons inside and 30 outside. Buses limited to 20 passengers, with windows open and no air conditioning. Bars, events, swimming pools and gyms closed. Synagogues limited to 19 attendees. Summer school programs only up to fourth grade.
We’ll see how these limits are enforced.
There are proposals and political opposition to increasing the fines for failing to use masks in public. As well as endless discussions about the aid to be given to various sectors of the economy.
And yeshivot remain open and active, some of them with hundreds of students studying close together. Recently one yeshiva was found to be the center of infections, and was closed. However, the entire complex remains active, thanks to the pressure of the ultra-Orthodox parties in the government.
Neighborhoods of the ultra-Orthodox appear to be especially vulnerable to infection, but ultra-Orthodox rabbis and spokesmen have urged their people to avoid testing, or have claimed discrimination against their people.
And where is the Prime Minister’s promise to begin annexation on July 1?
That has fallen victim, perhaps, to the increase in Coronavirus infections, not only here but in the United States, and greater worries about disease than extending Israel’s boundaries.
Likudniks continue to talk about Trump’s Plan of the Century, but treat its components differently. Some say that its elements in favor of a Palestinian State are not serious, while those favoring an extension of Israeli sovereignty are the heart of the program.
Now even the Prime Minister has said to European leaders that his prime concern is with the Coronavirus increase. So that seems to have pushed annexation off the agenda.
And we’re hearing of an increase above one thousand new cases per day. While some say that this is a second outbreak, others still adhere to one outbreak, perhaps with a second wave, produced in part by increased testing.
Meanwhile, the implementation of no crowding, and an insistence on wearing masks has not been enforced. Pictures on television, and our own walks around the neighborhood show many without masks, and others who wear them around their neck, without covering their mouth or their nose.
Is all this a reflection of the population’s exhaustion, or not caring, or accepting the pressures of mixing without concern for the consequences?
Lots of unanswered questions, and plenty of dispute among politicians, health professionals, economists, and commentators.
Little doubt that Bibi is not in complete control, or perhaps not even in partial control. And his attack against the judiciary does not add to his stature.
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Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D, is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. He may be contacted via ira.sharkansky@sdjewishworld.com