Israeli PM Netanyahu accused of dodging blame for Hamas attack failures as military takes disciplinary action and public demands independent inquiry
JERUSALEM: Tension is escalating between Israel’s political and military leadership over accountability for failures during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces accusations of sidestepping responsibility for the security lapses that enabled the deadly assault.
Weekly protests against Netanyahu’s leadership of the subsequent two-year Gaza war have become emblematic of public anger over the attack’s handling.
Much of the Israeli public has been calling in vain for an independent inquiry into events leading up to the attack that killed 1,221 people.
Polls show more than 70% of Israelis want a state commission of inquiry to investigate the state-level failings.
Netanyahu rejected the inquiry idea in parliament on November 10, accusing the opposition of seeking to turn it into a political tool.
Israel’s military announced the dismissal of three generals and disciplinary action against several senior officers over their failure to prevent the attack.
The move followed publication of a report reviewing the military’s internal investigations into the October 7 attacks.
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, Israel’s top military chief, called for a wider systemic investigation to learn lessons from the onslaught.
Defence Minister Israel Katz then commissioned a review of the committee’s work, a decision Zamir labelled as puzzling.
The military stated it was the only body that had thoroughly investigated its own failures and taken responsibility for them.
Independent analyst Michael Horowitz said Katz is seen by the public as a political loyalist who rarely diverges from Netanyahu.
Friction between political and military leadership is not new under Netanyahu but the recent spat is unusually public.
Netanyahu has said there will be no state commission of inquiry before the end of the war in Gaza.
The government instead announced an independent probe whose composition would be chosen by cabinet ministers.
Thousands of protesters rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand a full state commission of inquiry.
Netanyahu has never acknowledged responsibility for the failures that led to October 7.
“He has one strong and straightforward incentive not to take responsibility,” Horowitz told AFP.
“Accepting the blame means leaving office. After all, almost all of those who accepted part of the blame have left.”
Netanyahu has confirmed he will stand in the next elections, to be held before the end of 2026. – AFP
