Since the early hours of the morning, many have been comparing that great war 50 years ago – the Yom Kippur War – with the outbreak of the current war. In this case, there is more than a cliché or a need to create a symbolic comparison.
The comparison, of course, touches on the element of surprise, close to Yom Kippur. Even the lengthy planning required for the attack, and the lack of preparedness of the elected echelon and the IDF leadership, seem like copy-pastes, with almost no adjustments. Much has also been said about the blindness and arrogance of those ranks – then and now. However, there is another area that concerns perhaps the most important interface between the army and the citizens of the state, and that is the failure of public relations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not known for being cautious before responding. On Twitter, he responds very quickly when it comes to Bays, sometimes, like this very week in the incident of Rabbi Leo Di who (not) was attacked while praying, even before checking the facts. But Netanyahu is the prime minister. What about the defense minister? The Minister in the Ministry of Defense? Minister of Information?
Direct rocket hit, Ashkelon. October 7, 2023/Yotam Ronen
Not the IDF Spokesperson, not the Chief of Staff, not the General of Southern Command. In fact, the only regional leader Israelis have heard so far is Mohammed Deif
From politicians, certainly the current leaders of the system, expectations are low anyway. However, the collapse of public relations also spilled over to the army and its branches, which, despite huge budgets for investment in digital and "PR ammunition," went into complete shock. Just like on that Yom Kippur fifty years ago, as of this article, four hours into the war, not a single person in uniform stood in front of the public and explained what the situation was and what needed to be done. Not the IDF Spokesperson, not the Chief of Staff, not the General of Southern Command. In fact, the only regional leader the Israelis have heard so far is Mohammed Deif.
News 12 long minutes after attack/screenshot, screenshot
The shamelessness of Channel 14
And what about Channel 14? He does not work on Shabbat, but in their garden here one may ask, isn't war a mental inspection that requires going on the air?
Even in the media, a side victim herself, discovered an intelligence failure and woke up late. During that war there was only Channel 1 broadcasting in black and white. This morning, the first to go on the air were Channel 13 News, long minutes after the terrorists infiltrated the southern communities and the long barrages of missiles on Gush Dan. They were followed by the news of the Public Broadcasting Corporation, Kan 11, which aligned itself with Kan Reshet B, which came before them. Last to rise were the strongest and largest news company in Israel - News 12 - which aired with malfunctions and without sound.
And what about Channel 14? He does not work on Shabbat, but in their garden here one may ask, isn't war a mental inspection that requires going on the air? Isn't the public watching them entitled to the basket of facts and guidelines that a public news channel is supposed to provide? Recall that the channel promoted aggressive legislation that would provide them with the license to broadcast news. For what, a news interview with Sarah Netanyahu?
All this, of course, did not prevent one of Channel 14's employees from criticizing the competing channels, which fulfill their duty to the public.
- More on the subject:
- Informational
- News 12
- Here 11