Status: 26.10.2023, 13:58 PM
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far refused to publicly admit any mistakes after the Hamas attack. © Christophe Ena/AP Pool/dpa
October 7 will go down in Israel's history as a disastrous failure of the political and military leadership. So far, Prime Minister Netanyahu has not taken direct responsibility for this.
Tel Aviv - These are the rather rare appearances of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a televised address scheduled at short notice in the evening, he addressed the nation.
Dressed in black, he reaffirms the goal of destroying the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, holds out the prospect of a ground offensive, and invokes cohesion. Responsibility for the political and military failures on the day of Hamas' bloody attack is still lacking on day 18.
Instead, Netanyahu holds out the prospect of an investigation into the events of October 7 after the war. "This failure will be fully investigated, everyone will have to give answers - including me." At present, he said, it is his responsibility to "secure the future of the country."
Criticism of Netanyahu
Unlike Defense Minister Joav Galant or the heads of Israeli intelligence services, Netanyahu has so far refused to publicly admit his own mistakes. Observers agree that the 74-year-old wants to hold on to his post even after the war. And this despite the fact that the worst massacre in Israeli history could happen under his leadership. "A person who is responsible for the future is not going anywhere," writes Israeli commentator Ben Caspit in the newspaper Maariv.
For days, Netanyahu's attempts to ensure his political survival have dominated the headlines in Israel. According to the media, Israel's longest-serving head of government has already commissioned a list of possible people responsible for the debacle.
"He's very involved in the day after, even now when he should be focusing on other things," says expert Chuck Freilich of the Israeli Institute for Security Studies. Netanyahu's machinery, including his political advisers, tried to shift the blame for the debacle.
Above all, the military leadership and Defense Minister Joav Galant are high on Netanyahu's "guilt list." They were certainly instrumental in the debacle, says Freilich. "But Netanyahu is the head of government."
Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners, in his view, bear the brunt of the blame for the catastrophic failure of the first day, with some 1400,<> people killed by Hamas. The government was distracted, concentrating on its extreme plans to restructure the judiciary, says Freilich. For months, they divided Israeli society, warnings - including from Galant - of a danger to Israel's security went unheeded.
Demonstrations and protests
Thousands of reservists announced that they would no longer be on duty because of politics. "The military was on the verge of falling apart, the soldiers lost sight of the ball," says Freilich. It is difficult to say whether he will be able to keep Netanyahu in office despite everything: "I don't think so, but he will do everything for it."
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The anger against the head of government is also partly reflected on the streets of Tel Aviv. Where four weeks ago demonstrators gathered against the judicial reform plans, today there are protests for the release of the more than 220 hostages abducted to the Gaza Strip. Many demonstrators are calling for the end of Netanyahu's term in office.
Stickers and posters last weekend on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv showed the head of government with a blood-red hand on his face. Others read: "The Destroyer of Israel." The demonstrations are not on the scale they were before the war.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets against Netanyahu's government for months. Now there are several hundred. For many Israelis, the time has not yet come for protests. Reckoning will take place after the war, it is said again and again in public discourse.
Trust in the military - but not in political leadership
The massive loss of confidence is also reflected in recent polls. According to studies by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), only 18 percent of those surveyed still trust the political leadership. According to IDI, this is the lowest level since its measurement began in 2003. The loss of confidence to 31 percent within Netanyahu's conservative electorate is particularly striking. In June, the figure was 42 percent.
Trust in the military, on the other hand, remains unchallenged at 87 percent. The Israeli army has always been the most supportive institution in Israel. "Even though trust has been severely wounded, in the end the people of Israel understand that they can only win with the military," says Freilich.
On the border with the Gaza Strip, thousands of troops are already on standby to achieve this goal. The decisive order for a ground offensive is still pending. The ball is in the politicians' court, military representatives have repeatedly emphasized in recent days. There, the further course of action does not yet seem to have been finally decided.
Plan for "the day after"
"There are still disagreements about what the right strategy is," says Michael Milshtein, an expert on Palestinian affairs at Reichman University. Some wanted an even tougher approach, others pleaded for more time to prepare the military.
The question of "after" also plays a decisive role. "Destroy Hamas" is an easy slogan to say. "But who will take control then? How do you make sure that whoever takes control stays in power?" In addition, there is the fate of the more than 200 hostages abducted to the Gaza Strip.
But the pressure from society is great, says Milshtein. For many Israelis, it is clear that there is no way back. You can no longer live "with these kinds of monsters" as neighbors, Milshtein says, referring to the atrocities committed by Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. "It's like we're under existential threat 24/7." He clearly considers Israel's previous Gaza policy to be a failure.
However, the wait is not easy for the soldiers, says security expert Freilich. "They want to react hard and fast, they want to make up for the failure of the first day." For many fighters, it is now crucial to show that they can win after the Hamas massacre on October 7. "You need a success". Dpa