Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Israelis gather in Tel Aviv to protest against the government’s economic response to the corornavirus pandemic.
Israelis gather in Tel Aviv to protest against the government’s economic response to the corornavirus pandemic. Photograph: Getty
Israelis gather in Tel Aviv to protest against the government’s economic response to the corornavirus pandemic. Photograph: Getty

Israeli police tear down anti-Netanyahu protest camp

This article is more than 3 years old

PM battles corruption claims amid mass rallies over his handling of Covid-19 crisis

Israeli police have clashed with protesters outside Benjamin Netanyahu’s house, as the embattled prime minister faces heightened criticism for alleged corruption and his government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Jerusalem municipal officials, accompanied by police, arrived outside the premier’s residence just before 6am local time (0400 BST) on Monday and began to dismantle tents of a protest camp that had been erected weeks ago by people calling for Netanyahu to resign.

Video footage showed city officials and police in masks removing banners while scuffling and arguing with people in the street.

Roi Peleg, a protester, accused authorities of excessive force and said a municipal worker accidentally cut him on the forehead with a knife while attempting to remove a banner.

“The inspectors trampled me and five others, and because of their brutal violence, we had to call two ambulances, and one man had to go to hospital,” Peleg told Kan, the public radio broadcaster.

“Throughout this time, as you can see in every video, we begged for explanations and were ignored.”

Q&A

Coronavirus pandemic: 10 countries of concern

Show

Brazil 2,859,073 cases, 97,256 deaths

President Jair Bolsonaro dismissed the disease as a “little flu” as it rampaged through his country and mocked measures such as wearing masks. Two health ministers have quit and Brazil's outbreak is the second-deadliest in the world.

India 1,964,536 cases, 40,699 deaths

India brought in a strict nationwide lockdown in March that slowed the spread of the virus but did not bring it under control. As the country began easing controls, cases surged and it now has the third highest number. Mortality rates are low, but it is unclear if this reflects reporting problems or a relatively resilient population.

Iran 317,000 cases, 17,800 deaths

Iran had one of the first major outbreaks outside China. A lockdown slowed its spread but after that was eased in April, cases rebounded. Several senior officials have tested positive, and the government has strengthened controls, including making masks obligatory in public places.

Israel 78,300 cases, 565 deaths

Israel had an early travel ban and strict lockdowns, and in April the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared the country an example to the world in controlling Covid-19. But cases that in May were down to just 20 a day, skyrocketed after the country started opening up. Partial controls have been brought back with warnings more could follow.

Mexico 456,100 cases, 49,698 deaths

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador joined other populists from across the political spectrum in dismissing the threat from coronavirus; when schools closed in March he shared a video of himself hugging fans and kissing a baby. The outbreak is now one of the worst on the continent.

Philippines 115,980 cases, 2,123 deaths

A strict lockdown from March to June kept the disease under control but shrank the economy for the first time in 20 years. Cases have climbed steadily since the country started coming out of lockdown, and President Rodrigo Duterte has said the country cannot afford to fully reopen because it would be overwhelmed by another spike.

Russia 865,000 cases, 14,465 deaths

Coronavirus was slow to arrive in Russia, and travel bans and a lockdown initially slowed its spread, but controls were lifted twice for political reasons – a military parade and a referendum on allowing Putin to stay in power longer. Despite having the fourth biggest outbreak in the world, controls are now being eased nationwide.

Serbia 27,000 cases, 614 deaths

Cases are rising rapidly, hospitals are full and doctors exhausted. But the government has rowed back from plans to bring back lockdown controls, after two days of violent protests. Critics blame the sharp rise in cases on authorities who allowed mass gatherings in May and elections in June. Officials say it is due to a lack of sanitary discipline, especially in nightclubs.

South Africa 529,000 cases, 9,200 deaths

South Africa has by far the largest outbreak on the African continent, despite one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. Sales of alcohol and cigarettes were even banned. But it began reopening in May, apparently fuelling the recent rise in cases.

US 158,000 deaths, 4.8m cases

The US ban on travellers from overseas came late, and though most states had lockdowns of some form in spring, they varied in length and strictness. Some places that were among the earliest to lift them are now battling fast-rising outbreaks, and the country has the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths. Opposition to lockdowns and mask-wearing remains widespread.

Source: Johns Hopkins CSSE, 6 August

Photograph: Mark R Cristino/EPA
Was this helpful?

Jerusalem city hall said the municipality had removed the equipment because it “was placed without a permit and harms public order”.

A police spokesman said streets near the residence were cleared because of “complaints about noise filed by people living in the area … and sidewalks blocked continuously”.

Netanyahu is fighting three corruption allegations, including on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, alleging he is the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt.

On Monday, after the dismantling of the protest camp, the opposition leader, Yair Lapid, tweeted: “Netanyahu has lost public trust and with it the courage to face citizens who tell him the truth daily – that he’s failed.”

As well as anger over his corruption trial, Israel’s longest-serving leader faces fresh discontent as the country grapples with a surge of Covid-19 infections.

While Netanyahu’s government was initially praised for a swift lockdown in March that was credited with reducing daily infections to single digits, during the past week the number of confirmed cases has risen to well above 1,000 per day. Officials have attributed the surge to an overenthusiastic reopening of the country.

More than one in five Israelis are unemployed and, despite a £20bn aid package announced last week, many businesses say they will not survive the pandemic.

On Sunday, thousands demonstrated in downtown Tel Aviv against the government’s economic policies. Many complained that promised payouts to offset the financial fallout had not been distributed.

Two national television polls released on Sunday found Israelis were dissatisfied with the prime minister’s handling of the crisis. A Channel 13 survey said 75% of respondents were not satisfied by the economic response to the pandemic, while another poll by Kan found 85% were dissatisfied.

However, polls still show the ruling rightwing Likud party to be the most popular in the country, even if slightly fewer people would vote for it.

Most viewed

Most viewed