Coronavirus: 61% of Israelis dissatisfied with Netanyahu's virus handling

Some 75% of respondents said that they do not think the government is managing the economic crisis well, 16% said they are satisfied and 9% said they don't know.

By ALEX WINSTON
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting on June 28, 2020. (photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting on June 28, 2020.
(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
A poll published by Channel 13 on Sunday night provided insight into public perception of the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis in Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has paid a personal price in light of the continued rise of coronavirus cases in the country, the poll showed.
Some 61% of those polled are dissatisfied with Netanyahu's overall management of the coronavirus crisis, 19% are quite satisfied and only 15% answered that they are satisfied. Netanyahu and the government have come under intense scrutiny as the number of cases in Israel has risen dramatically since the reopening of the economy at the beginning of June.
By comparison, in the midst of the first coronavirus wave in April, a similar poll showed that only about 30% were dissatisfied and almost 70% were satisfied or quite satisfied with the prime minister.
Some 75% of respondents said that they do not think the government is managing the economic crisis well, 16% answered they are satisfied and 9% answered that they do not know.
In addition, the respondents were asked how much they feared for their financial stability and that of their family in the face of the economic crisis. Some 83% of Israelis overall are worried in some capacity about their economic stability according to the poll, with 45% saying they are a little worried and 38% saying they are very worried – showing financial uncertainty and a lack of confidence in the government. Only 14% of Israelis are not concerned about their financial stability.
Finance Minister Israel Katz also polled poorly. Some 50% of the public are dissatisfied with his actions since becoming minister, while 24% are very satisfied and only 10% are satisfied. New Health Minister Yuli Edelstein polled even worse, with 53% of those questioned answering that they are dissatisfied with this performance, 22% are very satisfied and only 10% are satisfied.
Additionally, 45% of respondents thought that the government should appoint former defense minister Naftali Bennett to manage the coronavirus crisis, while 26% were opposed. Some 29% responded that they did not know.
The poll also recorded that if elections were held today, Netanyahu's Likud Party would only receive 33 seats – a fall of six since the March 2 election. Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz's Blue and White Party would fall from 33 seats to nine, although that also takes into account the split with Yesh Atid-Telem, which would gain two more seats to reach 19.
The Arab Joint List would also increase its standing from 15 to 16 seats. According to the poll, the next biggest party would be Yamina, led by Bennett, with 13 seats, up from six in March. Yisrael Beytenu would also increase the number of seats, up to eight from seven, while ultra-Orthodox party Shas would decrease to seven seats, compared to the nine it won in March.
The survey questioned 702 respondents and has a sampling error of +/- 3.9%.