It took just one tweet over the weekend for a rift to appear within Israel’s political establishment.
Shortly after midnight on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote that he had not been informed of the warning about Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instead appeared to place the blame for the attack, which killed at least 1,400 people, on his own forces. and intelligence chiefs. He noted that they had assessed Hamas as “detained and ready for reconciliation” before the attack.
This statement caused an uproar. Political leaders accused Netanyahu of playing politics in the midst of a difficult military operation in the Gaza Strip. The prime minister was so outraged that he deleted the tweet and apologized for his comments in a rare calm tone. “I was wrong,” he said.
Experts say the episode confirms widening rifts within the political-military system and emphasizes Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership and ability to guide the country through the war without putting his own interests ahead of national security. He says he is questioning his ability.
“To say he’s been off this year would be an understatement,” said Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House.
“This is a very difficult military operation, so we need a responsible prime minister, but we don’t have one.” [in the government] It’s about trusting Netanyahu, that’s the main issue with this cabinet,” Mekelberg said.
Immediately after October 7, Prime Minister Netanyahu formed an emergency war cabinet, expanding the Israeli governing coalition to include a number of former military officials drawn from among the opposition.
One of them was former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately retract his controversial posts, while expressing full support for the military and Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet.
Criticism continued from other leaders as well. “[Netanyahu] He’s not interested in security or hostages, he’s only interested in politics,” said opposition lawmaker Avigdor Liberman, who was once Netanyahu’s defense minister. Israeli military chief spokesman Daniel Hagari declined to comment. “We are at war,” he said.
The heated exchange was the latest sign of tensions within Israel’s political establishment, including within its wartime cabinet, as it grapples with the aftermath of Israel’s biggest intelligence failure.
Many in the country’s security establishment have acknowledged the shortcomings, but Prime Minister Netanyahu has not. Before this storm of tweets, the Israeli leader held a press conference on Saturday, saying that once the war is over, everyone “will have to answer difficult questions, including me” and whether they are responsible. I dodged the question.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg of what the Israeli system will look like after the conflict ends,” said Alon Lien, former director of Israel’s Foreign Ministry. “He’s preparing for the debate,” Liang said.
The prime minister’s relationship with broad Israeli public opinion is already being tested. The war comes on the heels of a political crisis as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultranationalist, far-right government pushed through controversial reforms that limited judicial power and that opponents criticized as a threat to democracy. Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets for months to oppose judicial reforms.
Among those opposed to the reform were reservists who threatened to refuse to serve as volunteers. Some critics claim that the scale of the protests was such that it affected the military’s readiness and capabilities.
Since October 7, thousands of reservists have taken up arms and joined the fight against Hamas. Hamas is the biggest military challenge since the October 1973 war with Egypt and Syria.
The Israeli military announced on Monday that troops and armored vehicles were advancing deep into the Gaza Strip as part of the “second phase of the war.” This came after more than three weeks of relentless shelling of the besieged enclave, killing more than 8,000 Palestinians and causing a humanitarian catastrophe.
But analysts say Israeli solidarity against Hamas does not necessarily extend to support for the Netanyahu government itself.
“This government had already lost the trust of important segments of society before October 7, and has not significantly expanded its public support base since then,” said Muan Rabbani, co-editor and non-resident researcher at Jadariya. he said. Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Research.
According to a poll released last week by the Israel Democracy Institute, trust in the government has collapsed to its lowest level in 20 years, with 20% of Israelis saying they trust Netanyahu’s government, and the June This was an 8% point decrease compared to the previous year.
Still, Prime Minister Netanyahu is known for his political survival skills. He is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, first taking office in 1996, and has been in power for 13 of the past 14 years.
“While there has been widespread opposition to his and his government’s actions, this should not overshadow the fact that he enjoys strong public support,” Rabbani said.
He added that while the wartime cabinet may be divided, it could still be in his interests politically to expand the government to include military leaders, as Netanyahu has done.
Rabbani said this was a move aimed not only at expanding his political base, but also to more effectively avoid accountability for security authorities for potential military failures once the war ends. said it could be useful.
