Did a falafel vendor from Ashdod push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into signing a unity government agreement with Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz? What is certain is that the April 19 interview Channel 13 broadcast with a falafel shop owner named Yuval Carmi —devastated financially by the coronavirus pandemic — made waves throughout Israel and went viral on social media. Carmi told viewers that he can no longer feed his children, potentially making Netanyahu realize that if the economic crisis continues, he himself could collapse politically.
Netanyahu served as finance minister between 2003 and 2005, so he perfectly understands the political force of an angry, unemployed and bankrupted public. Netanyahu also knows that the Israeli economy was hit hard by the coronavirus and won’t bounce back easily. More than 1 million Israelis are currently unemployed, most of them losing their jobs in recent weeks following the government’s decision to shut down businesses. One million unemployed is the highest rate ever registered in Israel, and Netanyahu bears the responsibility.
When serving as finance minister, Netanyahu championed a bold economic recovery program that hit the weaker populations significantly, many of whom were traditional Likud supporters. These voters took their revenge in the 2006 elections, abandoning the party Netanyahu headed. The all-time low electoral gains of the Likud — only 12 Knesset seats – are not something that Netanyahu would easily forget. Since then, he has been careful not to economically harm his voters, many consisting of those from lower socio-economic classes.
That is why when the interview with Carmi was aired, alarm bells started ringing in Netanyahu’s office. Carmi, a longtime Likud supporter, was in tears, and with him the journalist who interviewed him. "I’m embarrassed, from my children, to tell them I have nothing I can buy for you. I have nothing to give them. I have nothing to give them to eat. I don’t know what to do," he cried, saying he would rather burn himself.
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