Tel Aviv: In a scathing op-ed, Haaretz, Israel's third-largest newspaper, has laid the blame for the deadliest raid into Israeli territory in 50 years squarely on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The editorial accuses Netanyahu of failing to address intelligence lapses and pursuing policies that fuelled the recent attack by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip.
Haaretz points to intelligence failures and accuses Netanyahu of ignoring the warning signs leading up to the devastating raid. The editorial suggests that the prime minister "completely failed to identify the dangers he was consciously leading Israel into."
The op-ed criticizes Netanyahu's policies towards Palestinians, describing them as a "government of annexation and dispossession." It specifically highlights the appointments of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir to key positions. Smotrich, the finance minister, has been controversial for expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, while Ben-Gvir, the security minister, has faced charges of hate speech against Arabs.
Haaretz accuses Netanyahu of openly ignoring the existence and rights of Palestinians in his foreign policy. The editorial alleges that Netanyahu aimed to "crush the Palestinian national movement in both its wings, in Gaza and the West Bank."
The piece draws a connection between Netanyahu's indictment in three corruption cases and his alleged inability to handle state affairs. It suggests that this led to the formation of a "horrific coalition" and the "enfeeblement of top army and intelligence officers."
The op-ed highlights the consequences of Netanyahu's policies, including a "massive expansion" of settlements, increased Jewish presence near the Al Aqsa Mosque, and a peace deal with Saudi Arabia that allegedly offered nothing to the Palestinians. The newspaper argues that these actions contributed to the outbreak of hostilities, with Hamas exploiting the situation to launch its surprise attack.
The editorial reads “The disaster that befell Israel on the holiday of Simchat Torah is the clear responsibility of one person: Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister, who has prided himself on his vast political experience and irreplaceable wisdom in security matters, completely failed to identify the dangers he was consciously leading Israel into when establishing a government of annexation and dispossession when appointing Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir to key positions while embracing a foreign policy that openly ignored the existence and rights of Palestinians.”