Israel will begin a new phase of its deconfinement plan that began in mid-April this Sunday. After outdoor prayers bringing together less than 19 worshipers and shops, almost all of the schools and then the beaches are about to reopen.
At first glance, nothing abnormal for this country of 8.7 million inhabitants cited as a model in the fight against the Covid-19. With 265 deaths recorded and less than 200 patients currently hospitalized, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has successfully crossed the first epidemic wave of the new coronavirus.
"We reacted quickly because we are constantly training ourselves to face emergency situations", summed up recently in Paris a doctor with reference to the quasi-permanent state of alert in which the Hebrew State has lived since its created in 1948.
Curfew imposed during religious holidays, border closings from March 12, massive testing capacity ... This health success is also explained by a digital tracking system as advanced as controversial in terms of public freedoms on the lands of the " Start-up nation ”. The Shin Beth's internal intelligence has put its skills in counterterrorism at the service of the health system.
Now 27% unemployed, compared to 3.4% in January
Only, at the time of releasing the pressure and finding the public space, the society suffers from a vertiginous unemployment rate. 27% of the active population finds themselves unemployed, against 3.4% at the start of the year. "On the streets of Jerusalem, small businesses remain closed because they have terrible cash flow problems or because there are simply no customers," says Frédérique Schillo, historian and specialist in Israel.
Like the protests in the self-employed tourism sector, "public opinion is very critical of the government for its management of the economic crisis", summarizes the co-author of the book "Jerusalem" in 2018.
"Israel has no other solution than to accelerate the movement"
What if the express and sometimes chaotic lifting of containment measures had to do with this fear of a lasting recession and bankruptcies in the tens of thousands? "It is very likely. Israel has no other solution than to accelerate the movement because of the economic emergency, "says Frédérique Schillo.
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
She also wants proof of the sudden resignation of the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman-Tov. Considered the head of Israeli containment, he left the ship because of this forced economic recovery. "He fears a second wave in September with a new seasonal episode," adds the historian.
However, there is no guarantee that the country can cope with a large-scale epidemic wave. The Israeli healthcare system is among the most fragile in the OECD. The country has 3 beds per 1000 inhabitants - three times less than in France-, and suffers from an extremely high occupancy rate (94% against 75.2 on average in the OECD).
A political crisis that does not help
The political disorder that has paralyzed the country for 500 days also contributes to this climate of mistrust. While negotiations must finally be concluded on Sunday, with the investiture of Netanyahu, allied with centrist Benny Gantz, the size of the government is shocking a number of Israelis. “We are asking everyone's efforts. But with more than 36 ministers and 16 deputy ministers, this emergency government will prove to be overwhelming and expensive, ”regrets researcher Frédérique Schillo.
VIDEO. Israel: a giant demonstration respecting the distancing
The Minister of Health, ultra-Orthodox Yaakov Litzman, has concentrated all the criticism in recent weeks. Tested positive for the coronavirus, he was accused by some newspapers of having continued to go to the synagogue. Then to have been late in enforcing barrier gestures within his community of faithful. This soldier of Benyamin Netanyahu is also suspected of having been "bought" by the Israeli owners of Ikea to reopen some signs in emergency. Faced with unpopularity records, he is about to be resettled at the Ministry of Housing.
This Thursday, May 14, pro-democracy activists were still demonstrating in front of the Knesset, the national parliament. These types of rallies, denouncing the corruption of the country's leaders, never stopped during the confinement.