Naftali Bennett Faces Calls for Resignation After Mocking Benjamin Netanyahu in Parliament

A peculiar incident involving the prime minister in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, has infuriated many Israelis, who took to social media platforms to vent their disappointment with the incumbent government. The PM was blamed for broken electoral promises, the high cost of living and his poor handling of the pandemic, among other things.

During the speech of the head of the opposition, former PM Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was caught on camera showing a hand gesture indicating that the former premier was insane and implying that his words were insignificant.

The prime minister’s actions have prompted lively discussions on social media platforms, with tweeps venting anger with Bennett and his policies and demanding that he step down.

Pandemic Is the Main Problem

"Naftali Bennett suffers from severe mental disorders. The country is in total collapse. Bennett is a pathological liar, he is a swindler and a deceiver, who needs to urgently resign," wrote one tweep.

Most of that frustration is directed at the way he and his government have been handling the coronavirus pandemic.

Although the fifth wave of COVID-19 now seems to be over, the number of daily cases still presents a concern.

On Monday, more than 36,000 people were registered as having the virus, pushing the overall number to nearly 327,000. Over 1,100 are now in severe condition, 346 in critical.

"Thanks, Bennett, for the fact that Israel leads the world in COVID-19 deaths per million people," wrote a tweep.

Others chimed in: "Bennett, wake up from your nap. Do you even know how many people have died so far?"

"Bennett, go away already!!! You promised that in 3-4 weeks you'd defeat the pandemic! In the meantime, just in your shift - we lost almost 3,000 people, each of whom is a world in its entirety!!! Put down the keys and admit that you have failed!"

In recent weeks, the Israeli press has been extensively covering the situation in the country's hospitals, which have been lacking medical staff and equipment. Patients have been complaining about not getting the care and the attention they required. Doctors have been venting anger that their pleas to the government to help them out have fallen on deaf ears.

Mounting Pressure

However, the frustration of the public was not limited to the health crisis. Much anger was also directed at the way Bennett has been handling the economic fallout, high unemployment rates and the lack of financial assistance to those who have lost their income.

The dissatisfaction expressed itself in numbers. A January poll conducted by Israel Hayom, one of the country's leading newspapers, revealed that only 22 percent of Israelis were satisfied with the conduct of the government Bennett has been leading. 30 percent gave them a mediocre mark, while 48 percent thought they have failed to satisfactorily tackle the pandemic.

Another survey revealed that only 4 percent of Israelis wanted to see Bennett in the prime minister’s seat. His colleagues in the coalition, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Defence Minister Benny Gantz have also received low ratings, 20 and 11 percent respectively. Netanyahu, on the other hand, topped the list, getting the support of 31 percent.

For many tweeps it is not only about COVID-19. Some still remember his pre-election promises to stick to the right and then breaking his word to join forces with the liberals to assume leadership.

Others accuse him of high taxes and unprecedented costs of living, and there are those, who blame him for betraying his ideology and forging ties with an Islamic party that's believed to have links to the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement banned in many countries of the region and elsewhere.

Bennett is expected to leave office in September of next year, vacating his seat for Lapid. But the question remains whether this government will end up sticking around, as public pressure keeps mounting and as demonstrations against it start revving up.

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