(14 May 2020) Israeli protesters staged a rally outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on Thursday, against the coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival-turned-partner, Benny Gantz.
Netanyahu and Gantz, a former military chief, announced last month they would put their differences aside and join forces to steer the country through the coronavirus crisis and its severe economic fallout.
It came at the price of the dissolution of Gantz's Blue and White party and his reneging on a key campaign promise not to serve under Netanyahu, who is scheduled to go on trial this month for corruption charges.
Their much-scrutinized coalition deal, resulting in the most bloated government in Israeli history and new legislation to help Netanyahu cling to power, could only come about after the country's Supreme Court ruled it had no legal grounds to block it.
Protesters staged the rally on the day that the two leaders were scheduled to hold the swearing-in ceremony of their controversial new government.
However, just as the government was set to be sworn in under strict social distancing guidelines, the two men announced they would delay the ceremony, in a joint statement, saying Gantz had agreed to a request by Netanyahu to wait until Sunday to give Netanyahu more time to hand out coveted Cabinet appointments to members of his party.
Protesters accuse the government of being out of touch by creating so many Cabinet posts at a time when unemployment has soared to 25% as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
They also object to the newly created position of “alternate prime minister.” The post that could allow Netanyahu to remain in office even after the swap and throughout his corruption trial and a potential appeals process.
Netanyahu has been indicted with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals involving trading favors with wealthy media moguls. He denies any wrongdoing and blames the charges on a media-orchestrated plot to oust him.

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