Attitude towards Bibi Divided amid Anti-Gov’t Protests

By Staff, Sputnik

Thousands of people took to the streets, intersections, and bridges across the “Israeli” entity on Saturday protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling on him to resign.

Many of them also gathered in front of his official residence in al-Quds [Jerusalem] urging "the culprit from Balfour" to relinquish power. Twelve people were arrested during the protests.

Protests of this sort have become an almost daily occurrence in the entity, triggered by the raging coronavirus pandemic that has already claimed the lives of more than 500 “Israelis”.

Decrying the authorities for their "illogical decisions", meagre financial assistance, and the bureaucracy surrounding it, many used the protests to show their dissatisfaction with a government that was formed to tackle the pandemic but so far has failed to deliver on that promise.

According to a recent poll, more than 60 percent of “Israelis” are "not happy" with the way Netanyahu's government has been tackling the economic crisis caused by the pandemic which has pushed the country's unemployment rates to unprecedented heights.

The same survey found that 49 percent were dissatisfied with the handling of the health crisis, with 46 percent expressing opposing views.

However, for many the social-economic protests have become fertile ground for spreading anti-Netanyahu sentiment. Such is the case with the so-called Black Flag movement which says that a person charged with fraud, corruption, and breach of trust cannot remain at the helm of the country.

Similar slogans have also been tossed around on the social media platforms, with Tweeps divided over their attitude towards the PM and the government he heads.

The “Israeli” entity heading to the polls yet again in a fourth general election in under two years, a far-off scenario until not long ago, is now gaining steam.

While cracks in the coalition have been observed in the past, over Netanyahu's plan to apply “Israeli” law in parts of the occupied West Bank and tackling the pandemic, disagreements over the nation's budget could be the final nail in the coffin for an already fragile partnership.

On Sunday, Netanyahu was supposed to bring a one-year budget to a vote in the Knesset, but Benny Gantz's Blue and White party, who is pushing for a two-year plan, announced it would boycott the move, forcing the PM to backtrack.

Now the “Israeli” PM has until 24 August to come to terms with his coalition partners, otherwise the Knesset will dissolve itself and the entity will once again head to the polls in an endeavor that will cost the country more than a billion dollars.

And while a recent survey predicts a drop in the number of seats that Netanyahu's Likud will get, falling from 36 to 33, the PM's supporters remain optimistic.