In a survey conducted after the Hamas attack, 56 Israeli people said that Netanyahu should resign.
It may be too early to say what the investigation will reveal, but the report issued by the Israeli cabinet shows that Israel has ignored Egypt’s repeated warnings.
The former intelligence chief of the Israel Defense Forces has accused Netanyahu’s cabinet of withdrawing troops defending Israeli cities near Gaza and using them for operations in the West Bank.
There was clearly a major intelligence failure, and the IDF’s response to the Hamas attack was extremely slow.
William Galston is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal. He writes about the Palestinian groups’ recent campaigns and Israel’s humiliating defeat:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a confident speech to the United Nations General Assembly on September 22.
Read more: Consequences of the Al-Aqsa storm on the troubled Israel economy
Israel reached the Abraham Accords with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco without a peace deal with the Palestinians.
These agreements usher in “a new era of peace” in the Middle East, which will be complemented by an agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu said that the effect of these agreements will be visible in the times to come. He was trying to say that after such an agreement, Palestinians would probably abandon the idea of Israel’s destruction.
Why Israelis want Netanyahu should resign
Fifteen days after his speech, Hamas launched a surprise attack that killed at least 1,000 Israelis and injured at least 3,400 others.
On this attack the Saudis could have responded by unequivocally condemning these actions. Instead, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding the dangers of the situation as a result of Israel’s continued occupation and deprivation of Palestinians of their legitimate rights, Israel’s repeated attacks on Muslim holy sites, and ongoing atrocities.
Saudi Arabia’s message to Netanyahu was:
“Do not think that we are free to abandon the Palestinian issue on the way to normalizing relations with you.”
Israel has long been in a position of self-defense and deterrence. But in both failed and Israel now faces a new situation.
Read More: Saudi Arabia ends negotiations on normalization with Israel
Israel’s initial response to the Hamas attack has been massive airstrikes and a complete blockade of Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant declared that “Without electricity, food and fuel, there will be nothing in Gaza. Everything is closed.”
Defeat bigger than Yom Kippur War
This is just the beginning, and I believe Netanyahu has decided to launch an all-out ground offensive against Gaza.
“We must drag the war as far inside Gaza as possible,” retired Israeli army general Noam Tebion told a news conference on Monday.
He stressed that “Hamas will pay a price” and that Israel has no choice but to achieve a “decisive victory.”
He acknowledged that the attack would be ugly and would likely kill Israeli civilians and soldiers held hostage by Hamas, but suggested that these serious consequences should not deter the operation.
Israel-Palestine war: As bombs fall, children of Gaza ask: Why do they kill us?
However, this is not the time to point blame at anyone, but the time will come to bring the culprit forward.
After the operation in Gaza ends, it is likely that an investigative commission will be formed, similar to the one that was conducted after the Yom Kippur War.
It is too early to know what the investigation will reveal, but there are reports that Netanyahu’s cabinet has ignored repeated warnings from the Egyptian government.
The former intelligence chief of the Israel Defense Forces has accused Netanyahu’s cabinet of withdrawing troops defending Israeli cities near Gaza and using them for operations in the West Bank. There was clearly a major intelligence failure and the IDF’s response to the Hamas attack was extremely slow.
Israel’s voice, Netanyahu should resign
Wars change nations. Throughout his career, Netanyahu has presented himself as a leader who can guarantee Israel’s security.
The events of the last few days have weakened this claim. I think his political career will end soon after the war, paving the way for profound change in Israel.
What reinforces this idea are the results of a new survey in Israel, in which more than half of people want the Israeli Prime Minister removed. 56% of Israelis want Netanyahu should resign.
The people surveyed described the defeat in the Al-Aqsa storm war as bigger than the defeat in the October war.
The results of a survey in Israel showed that 84 percent of Israeli residents believed that the “Al-Aqsa Storm” operation was indeed a failure for Israel’s political leaders.
Additionally, 94 percent of participants held Netanyahu’s cabinet responsible for the collapse of the defense infrastructure covering Gaza.
67 percent of the people who participated in the survey also said that the shameful defeat in Saturday’s attack is bigger than the defeat in the war of October 6, 1973.
According to this survey, 59% of participants did not have confidence in the ability of Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet to manage the current war, 52% of them wanted the dismissal of Israel’s War Minister, Yoav Galant, and 56% wanted Netanyahu should resign.
