For several weeks, thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to demonstrate against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They are calling for his resignation because of his management of the Covid-19 epidemic, which is progressing in the country, and the suspicions of corruption hanging over him.

On Saturday August 1, protests took place again in several cities across the country against the head of government. Some protesters even gathered in front of Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem. To understand the stakes of this mobilization which gained momentum in July, France 24 interviewed Frédéric Encel, geopolitologist and lecturer at Sciences Po Paris.

France 24: For many weeks, thousands of anti-Netanyahu demonstrators have been mobilized in the streets of the country. What is their profile and what are their motivations? 

Frédéric Encel: Contrary to what one might think, because of the context of the economic crisis caused by the health situation, the majority of the demonstrators did not come from the most popular layers. And we must not believe either that these demonstrations are solely based on the social crisis or the management of the coronavirus epidemic. Basically, the people who mobilized, in particular members of the petty or middle bourgeoisie, themselves marked by the crisis, took to the streets to express their rejection, even sometimes their detestation, of the character Benjamin Netanyahu, more than for protest against its economic strategy or its policy towards the Palestinians. Regardless of the generation of the protesters, it is a personal question in the sense that they view the Prime Minister, who faces three indictments on quite serious charges, as a corrupt, prevaricating, and nepotist leader. And this, without counting the erosion of power, after twelve years as head of government. To summarize, they express a certain fed up with Benjamin Netanyahu, in power continuously since 2009.

Can this movement have political consequences?

The protests can last, or even gain momentum, but above all they risk becoming a dead letter since Benjamin Netanyahu has no intention of resigning. Certainly not after having managed to remain in power democratically, by being badly but despite everything reelected, it is the game of Israeli democracy. His government has been in place for 18 months, and a priori, barring a political cataclysm, he has very little chance of falling. Especially since his main rival, Benny Gantz is today his main partner. However, outside of this coalition, Benny Gantz no longer weighs very heavily on the chessboard since his defection from the Bleu Blanc movement, of which he was the headliner during the last legislative elections. With now less than 15 MPs, he is very weak politically, and no longer poses a threat to Benjamin Netanyahu.

What impact can these demonstrations have on the image of Benjamin Netanyahu, already tarnished by court cases?  

With his experience, after so many years in politics, Benjamin Netanyahu no longer cares about his image, especially since he is supposed to leave power in fifteen months. He is an unsinkable person who masters his image and communication so much. He demonstrates this by getting re-elected almost every time despite poor news, especially on the legal front. I think these demonstrations are certainly embarrassing for his image, but they will have only a limited impact on his image, knowing that he has known worse as a mobilization, especially with the strikes and the great social conflict of 1996.  

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