JERUSALEM (AP) – As he seeks re-election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opted for a direct strategy: to have the strong support of his ultra-Orthodox political allies and eliminate the coronavirus pandemic with one of the world’s most aggressive vaccines campaigns.
But with ultra-Orthodox communities openly transmitting security guidelines and clashing violently with 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 provoke 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 it can open the economy to everyone, ultra-Orthodox and secular, and then the problem will be forgotten,” said campaign strategist Moshe Klughaft who has advised Netanyahu in the past. If the current problems persist, he said, “Netanyahu will have big problems.”
Less than two months before the March 23 elections, Israel is in a paradoxical situation. In just one month, more than a quarter have been vaccinated of its 9.3 million people and is about to inoculate the entire adult population on election day. At the same time, it has one of the highest infection rates in the developing world, with about 8,000 new cases detected every day. This week it has tightened a one-month closure by closing its international airport on almost every flight.
There are several reasons for the ongoing outbreak. Before closing the airport, Israelis returning from abroad brought with them rapidly spreading coronavirus variants. Other segments of the population have also not complied with the closure provisions that have closed shops, schools and restaurants.
But there is no doubt that the ultra-Orthodox sector (where schools remain open, synagogues full and mass weddings and funerals continue to be held) has been an engine of the highest numbers.
Experts estimate that the sector, which accounts for approximately 12% of Israel’s population, accounts for 40% of new cases of COVID-19. Official data also show that vaccination rates in ultra-Orthodox cities, where science often takes a back seat to the faith, are well below the rest of the country.
The ultra-Orthodox have long exercised a disproportionate influence in Israel, using their status as king in parliament to extract concessions from the nation’s leaders. Ultra-Orthodox men are exempt from compulsory military service. Community schools receive generous grants while offering lower education that focuses almost entirely on religious studies and ignores critical topics such as math, English, and science. As adults, many men shy away from the workforce, receiving social assistance while studying at religious seminaries.
The system has generated resentment for a long time Israel’s secular majority and economists have repeatedly warned that it is unsustainable. But political leaders have rarely been willing to challenge the system.
Netanyahu is no exception. By keeping the money flowing, he has found a reliable ally for most of his twelve years in office. Ultra-Orthodox support is crucial, as Netanyahu tries to form a majority coalition in favor of granting him immunity from corruption charges.
But the soaring rate of infection, combined with violent protests, has caught unwanted attention. In recent days, numerous crowds of ultra-Orthodox protesters, many of them unmasked, have attacked police sent to enforce detention orders and journalists who covered the riots. In the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, a policeman fired his pistol into the air to defend himself from a hostile crowd. That night, protesters set fire to a bus in the city.
“Israel is facing a Haredi insurrection 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 distinguished and that a small minority is responsible for the problems. They say that overcrowded 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 mayor Avraham Rubenstein was attacked by a crowd of protesters this week, he accused police of igniting 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 the rapes are widespread and that ultra-Orthodox politicians, rabbis and subordinate media were complicit.
“There is no blockade. It’s a big lie, “he told Channel 13 television.” Synagogues are open, ritual baths, rabbinical conferences, weddings and Netanyahu collaborates with them, “he said.
Netanyahu, counting on the vaccination program to propel him to victory, has not wanted or been able to assume its ultra-Orthodox allies. Asked about the riots, 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 unavailable,” Netanyahu lamented, saying he left a message with the rabbi’s grandson.
This perception of weakness has begun to play into the hands of Netanyahu’s rivals. Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, which appeals to secular middle-class voters, has seen its popularity skyrocket.
“We will put an end to this madness,” Lapid wrote on Twitter. “With us, there will be a law for everyone.”
This week’s opinion polls projected that Yesh Atid would finish 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 do not want any ultra-Orthodox party in the next government.
Dr. Nadav Davidovitch, director of the Ben-Gurion University School of Public Health in Israel and a government adviser on coronavirus, said the ultra-Orthodox community has posed numerous challenges for policymakers.
He cited sector autonomy, distrust of government, fragmented leadership, community lifestyle and densely populated neighborhoods. “All of this creates very fertile ground for infection,” he said.
Davidovitch said police dispatch often makes the situation worse. Instead, he said experts are working with community leaders on outreach programs to improve compliance with blocking measures and assure the public that the vaccine is safe. He said there have been improvements on both fronts, a trend he hopes to continue.
But while infections are still sinking and massive vaccines require weeks to take effect, it’s unclear to what extent the situation will improve on election day.
“I think we have all the tools in the coming weeks to open very gradually,” Davidovitch said. “It simply came to our notice then. But we have to be careful and patient about it. “