Soon it will be six months since the government was sworn in, a full-fledged right-wing government, and it seems that the government is unable to control the full. Benjamin Netanyahu, who knows a thing or two about economics, knows that the cost of living will ultimately overwhelm his government. Last week he set up a ministerial committee to deal with the cost of living and set himself at its head. And I have only one question: A week ago you submitted a budget for 2024-2023. Why didn't you put into the budget all the wonderful things you would do in the committee to eradicate price increases?
In contrast, the government, which is not doing enough to deal with the cost of living, has started running a petition on social media calling on everyone not to buy any fruit or vegetable whose price exceeds NIS 9.90. "Stop being suckers, buying only up to 9.90 per kilo," the petition reads, "We will start with fruits and vegetables, and continue with hygiene products, milk, cleaning, pastries, preserves, frozen, drinks - everything... We, the consumers, will dictate the price."
The protest rides on the success of the Kaplan protest, which succeeded in stopping the legal revolution. And it's good that consumers understand that the power is in their hands. Wise consumerism can change and bring down prices for the benefit of everyone. How did they write in the petition? "We won't wait for anyone's favors."
And the Balfour protest, dressed as a struggle against judicial reform, is not waning. On Saturday night, the 23rd anniversary of the protest, tens of thousands of people demonstrated across the country, and tens of thousands more on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv alone. The demonstration turned violent at the end, flares were lit and thrown and the Ayalon Highway was blocked.
There is anger building up in the streets of the country. Anger at the reform, the cost of living, the relentless appetite of the ultra-Orthodox parties, the damage to the economy, the damage to relations with the United States when it was decided to renew the five-year session contrary to the Americans' position, and more.
The protesters are also spread across the globe, carrying out planned ambushes of ministers and Knesset members from the coalition who travel to conferences abroad. They are not spared. Accompany them every step of the way, announce with a deafening megaphone and give them no rest. This was evident in the outburst of MK Simcha Rothman, who lost his composure during his visit to the United States and grabbed a megaphone from a demonstrator.
The pressure in the coalition is enormous. Prime Minister Netanyahu, as usual lately, speaks from both ends of his mouth. To Levin and the coalition members, he says that the reform is valid and exists, and that it will also pass. To the opposition and to the protesters in Kaplan, he says: I want to reach as broad a consensus as possible.
Over the weekend, it was also reported that Netanyahu is trying to move his "small pines," which will both please Levin and will not ignite the protest to its previous dimensions. It was reported that Netanyahu held a round of talks with his associates – Natan Eshel and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana – in order to extract from the reform several clauses that will pass, if and when the talks at the president's residence explode.
The clauses in question are: canceling or changing the grounds of reasonableness, splitting the role of attorney general, and personally appointing legal advisors to government ministries. Netanyahu believes that these clauses – or at least the first two – are acceptable to large parts of the opposition, and therefore can be passed by agreement in the Knesset.
There is truth and wisdom in this step of his. But unless parallel steps are taken to ease the cost of living on the one hand and lower the flames on the legal issue and the damage to democracy on the other, time will not play in his favor.
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