The unity government is steadily jettisoning public trust - opinion

The government can play politics with other issues, but security and health must come first.

By JPOST EDITORIAL
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benny Gantz hold a press conference in Tel Aviv on July 27, 2020. (photo credit: TAL SHAHAR/POOL)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benny Gantz hold a press conference in Tel Aviv on July 27, 2020.
(photo credit: TAL SHAHAR/POOL)
A recent incident with Hezbollah and the government’s inept approach toward the COVID-19 crisis is eroding trust at a time of national emergencies. Instead of trying to steady the ship and give the public a secure feeling, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz has instead become more insular, seemingly jettisoning any interest in earning the public’s trust.
This is a shame. Israel successfully dealt with the pandemic in its first months. This was when Netanyahu was searching for a unity government. However, once the government was formed and Blue and White leader Gantz became alternate prime minister, the large number of new ministers appeared to all squabble over details rather than work as a team.
Instead of a government of national unity, we have a government that is unsure of itself, can’t agree on basic things like a state budget, and leaves the public wondering what is going on from one day to the next.
The Hezbollah clash that unfolded on July 27 is emblematic of the problem. Hezbollah is a serious threat. It is also a serious media machine and knows how to embarrass Israel. It has sought to raise tensions strategically and tactically, in order to distract the Lebanese people from a devastating financial crisis at home.
From July 20-27, after an alleged Israeli strike that killed a Hezbollah operative near Damascus, there was expectation of a security incident on the border. This reminded many in Israel of a similar kind of cycle that was repeated last August.
Millions of Israelis were left waiting for what Hezbollah might do next. The public’s faith in the IDF is higher than confidence in some of the government’s other institutions. Yet, 24 hours later, questions still remained about what had exactly happened on July 27.
Was a Hezbollah incursion thwarted, as the IDF said, or did something else happen? Israelis should not have to watch pro-Hezbollah media to get their news on what is happening. They should be able to rely on their own military spokespeople.
These types of events should be explained clearly and in a transparent way. After events like this, the media should not be left trying to guess what is happening.
The corrosive effects of non-stop elections and the politicization of matters of national security – like the management of the coronavirus crisis or annexation plans that would begin to set Israel’s borders in the West Bank – have eroded public trust in the government, and now we fear, in the IDF.
Even right-wing supporters of Netanyahu, like the mayor of the settlement of Efrat, tweeted on Tuesday that they did not know whom to believe about what had happened in the North the day before.
Health and security are among the most important issues that we require government consistency in dealing with.
The government can play politics with other issues, but security and health must come first. Unfortunately, this government has shown only disunity.
Unsurprisingly, Netanyahu has appeared to care more about tax breaks and getting funding for his trial than about the larger issues the country faces.
This is precisely why a prime minister should not be on trial and in office at the same time. 
The erosion of trust is not because the leadership is incompetent. Gantz and Netanyahu are among the most competent people to manage these crises. They have decades of diplomatic and defense experience combined.
But they have squandered these opportunities either through self-interest or inept messaging and an unwillingness to ever share the stage with one another.
It raises questions about what legacy this prime minister wants to leave behind when he eventually leaves office, or if he wants to erode everything, from confidence in the courts, the police and the media until there is nothing left.
Israelis should feel somewhat confident after Monday’s incident in the North that the IDF is capable of defending the country’s borders. However, we cannot allow our leaders to erode the institution to the extent that we hear two different versions of what happened – one from Israel and one from Hezbollah – and walk away not knowing which one is right.