JERUSALEM (AP) – While seeking reelection, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has adopted a clear strategy: count on the unshakable support of his ultra-Orthodox political allies and eradicate the coronavirus pandemic with one of the world’s most aggressive vaccinations campaigns.
But with ultra-Orthodox communities openly ignoring security guidelines and violently clashing with the police trying to enforce them, this marriage of convenience becomes a burden. Netanyahu has seen his political partners undermine the country’s war on the virus and cause a public backlash that threatens him at the polls.
Netanyahu’s hope is that Israel will be the first country in the world to be vaccinated, that he will be able to open up the economy to everyone, ultra-Orthodox and secular, and then the problem will be forgotten, ”said Moshe Klughaft, a campaign strategist. that Netanyahu has advised in the past. If the current troubles continue, he said, “Netanyahu will be in big trouble.”
Less than two months before the March 23 elections, Israel is in a paradoxical situation. More than a quarter has been vaccinated in just one month of its 9.3 million people and is on track to inoculate the entire adult population by election day. At the same time, it has one of the highest cases of infection in the developing world, with around 8,000 new cases every day. This week, it tightened a month-old lockdown by closing its international airport to almost all flights.
There are a number of reasons for the ongoing outbreak. Before the airport was closed, Israelis returning from abroad brought fast-spreading variants of the coronavirus with them. Other segments of the population have also failed to comply with the lockdown provisions that have closed stores, schools and restaurants.
But there is little doubt that the ultra-Orthodox sector – where schools remain open, synagogues are full, and massive weddings and funerals continue to take place – has been a driving force in the rising numbers.
Experts estimate that the industry, which makes up about 12% of the Israeli population, is responsible for 40% of new COVID-19 cases. Official data also shows that vaccination rates in ultra-Orthodox cities, where science often falls behind the faith, is well below the rest of the country.
The ultra-Orthodox have long wielded a disproportionate influence in Israel, using their status as king in parliament to make concessions to the country’s leaders. Ultra-Orthodox men are exempt from otherwise compulsory military service. The community’s schools receive generous grants while providing substandard education that focuses almost entirely on religious studies and ignores critical topics such as math, English, and science. As adults, many men withdraw from the labor force and collect benefits while studying in religious seminars.
The system has long cultivated resentment The secular majority of Israel and economists have repeatedly warned that it is unsustainable. But political leaders were rarely ready to challenge the system.
Netanyahu is no exception. By keeping the money up, he has found a reliable ally for most of his twelve years in office. Ultra-Orthodox support is critical as Netanyahu seeks to form majority coalition to grant him immunity from corruption charges.
But the sky-high contamination rate, combined with the violent protests, has drawn unwanted attention. In recent days, crowds of ultra-Orthodox protesters, many of them exposed, have attacked police sent to enforce closure orders and journalists reporting on the unrest. In the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, a police officer fired his gun in the air to ward off a hostile crowd. That evening, protesters set fire to a bus in town.
“Israel is facing a Haredi uprising that makes it impossible to fight COVID,” wrote Yaakov Katz, editor of the Jerusalem Post, using the Hebrew word for ultra-Orthodox.
Ultra-Orthodox leaders say their communities are being unfairly chosen and that a small minority is responsible for the problems. They say busy living conditions and large families are the main reason for high infection rates, and that society does not understand the importance of prayer and learning in the ultra-Orthodox world.
After Bnei Brak’s mayor Avraham Rubenstein was attacked by a mob of protesters this week, he accused police of stirring up the situation and said authorities should let the community solve its own problems.
But Dov Habertal, a prominent ultra-Orthodox lawyer and commentator, said it was time for introspection. He said violations are widespread and ultra-Orthodox politicians, rabbis and subordinate media have all been complicit.
“There is no lockdown. It’s a big lie, ”he told Channel 13.“ Synagogues are open, ritual baths, rabbinic readings, weddings, and Netanyahu works with them, ”he said.
Netanyahu, counted on the vaccination program to propel him to victory, has proved unwilling or unable to take on its ultra-Orthodox allies. When asked about the unrest, Netanyahu told reporters this week that he had tried to call Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, one of the country’s most influential spiritual leaders. Kanievsky, 93, “was not available,” Netanyahu complained, saying he left a message with the rabbi’s grandson.
This perceived weakness is starting to play into the hands of Netanyahu’s rivals. Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, which appeals to middle-class, secular voters, has seen his popularity soar.
“We will end this madness,” Lapid wrote on Twitter. “With us there is one law for everyone.”
Polls this week predicted that Yesh Atid finished second in the election behind Netanyahu’s Likud, but in a potentially better position to form a coalition than Netanyahu. Another Channel 12 poll found that more than 60% of respondents don’t want ultra-Orthodox parties in the next government.
Dr. Nadav Davidovitch, director of the School of Public Health at Ben-Gurion University in Israel and a government advisor on the coronavirus, said the ultra-Orthodox community has posed numerous challenges for policymakers.
He mentioned the autonomy of the sector, the distrust of the government, the fragmented leadership, the communal lifestyle and the densely populated neighborhoods. “All of this together makes for a very fertile breeding ground for infection,” he said.
Davidovitch said sending police often makes the situation worse. Instead, he said experts are working with community leaders on outreach programs to improve compliance with lockdown measures and assure the public that the vaccine is safe. He said there has been improvement on both fronts, a trend he expects to continue.
But with infections still raging and the massive vaccinations taking weeks to take effect, it’s unclear to what extent the situation will improve on election day.
“I think in the coming weeks we have all the tools to open very gradually,” said Davidovitch. “We already have improvement. But we have to be careful and patient with it. “