‘Rallying round the flag effect’ in Israel’s first COVID-19 wave

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes the surge in support for PM Benjamin Netanyahu during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Israel within the framework of the rally effect. Israel was chosen as a case study for two reasons. First, the country was repeatedly polled during the first wave of infection. Second, a strict compartmentalised lockdown limited to certain areas, as a natural experimentation, had been in place for some time. These two factors fresh important light on the circumstances under which a society supports its political leaders during a national crisis.

KEYWORDS:

• Benjamin Netanyahu
• Israel
• COVID-19
• coronavirus pandemic
• public support
• haredim
• bnei brak
• lockdown

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Cunningham, “The Rally-Round-The-Flag Effect”; The Economist, “Graphic Detail.”

2. The Economist Intelligence Unit, “How Well Have OECD.”

3. The Times of Israel, May 4, 2020.

4. Mueller, “Trends in Support” and War, Presidents and Public.

5. Huddy et al., “Threat, Anxiety, and Support,” 593–608; Lerner et al., “Effects of Fear and Anger,” 144–50; Skitka, et al, “Confrontational and Preventative Policy Responses,” 375–84.

6. Landau et al., “Deliver Us from Evil,” 1136–50.

7. Baekgaard et al., “Rallying around the Flag”; Landau, et al., “Deliver Us from Evil,” 1136–50.

8. Bol et al., “The Effect of COVID-19.”

9. Shino and Binder, “Defying the Rally During COVID-19.’

10. Baekgaard et al., “Rallying around the Flag.”

11. Baum and Groeling, War Stories; Berinsky, “Assuming the Costs of War,” 975–97; Berinsky and Druckman, “The Polls – Review,” 126–41; Brody, Assessing the President; Gelpi et al., Paying the Human Costs and “Success Matters,” 7–46; and Mueller, “Trends in Support.”

12. Hamanaka, “Sensitivity to Casualties,” 46–50.

13. Baekgaard et al., “Rallying around the Flag”; and Bol et al., “The Effect of COVID-19.”

14. Colaresi, “The Benefit of Doubt,” 99–143.

15. Hamanaka, “Sensitivity to Casualties”; and Lambert et al., “Threat, Politics, and Attitudes,” 343–8.

16. Worldometer, “World/Countries/Israel/”.

17. Haaretz, March 10, 2020; and Mainichi Shimbun March 10, 2020.

18. Haaretz, March 13, 2020; and Asahi Shimbun, April 25, 2020.

19. I24News, “Israel: Netanyahu Announces Seven-Day.”

20. Eiran, “Israel: Politics and Identity,” 44–5.

21. The Times of Israel, May 10, 2020.

22. Takahashi, “The Ultra-Orthodox,” 12–14.

23. The Times of Israel, March 16, 2020.

24. Haaretz, April 2–16, 2020.

25. The Times of Israel, April 12 2020.

26. Shtrasler, “Opinion: Netanyahu Panicked.”

27. ‘The poverty rate among ultra-Orthodox families is the highest among Jews (54% in 2014 compared to 19% in the overall population).’ Galnoor and Blander, The Handbook of Israel’s, 741.

28. Huddy, et al., “Threat, Anxiety, and Support,’ 593–608.

29. The Diversionary theory is the idea that political elites often seek an adventurous or belligerent foreign policy in order to divert popular attention away from domestic political issues. Levy, Handbook of war studies, 260.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI) [Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research] [grant numbers JP19KK0033].

Notes on contributors

Shingo Hamanaka

Shingo Hamanaka is a Professor of Middle East Politics at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan.