Tensions between the Israeli military and several Israeli politicians boiled over during a war cabinet meeting about an investigation into the October 7 Hamas attack. The government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has deflected blame for the Hamas intrusion in southern Israel. Several reports have produced evidence that Tel Aviv should have been able to prevent the attack.
During the war cabinet meeting, the Israeli military announced plans to conduct an official inquiry into the October 7 Hamas attack. The Financial Times reports, “One Israeli official confirmed that [the Israeli military representative] was attacked by several senior ministers over both the timing and make-up of the probe.”
Benny Gantz, a cabinet minister and member of the National Unity party, said the probe was “a politically motivated attack in the middle of a war. I participated in many cabinet meetings — such conduct has never occurred and must not occur.”
The Financial Times report continues, “The argument was sparked, according to the official, by transport minister Miri Regev, a politician from Netanyahu’s Likud party who is seen as an ally of the prime minister.”
“Regev’s intervention was followed by far-right ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister.”
Smotrich, an extremist settler who called for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, explained there had been a “heated discussion” in the cabinet meeting about the timing of the probe. The investigation follows a lawsuit by survivors of the Nova Music Festival, who claim the Israeli government failed in their duty.
The lawsuit says, “A single phone call by [Israeli military] to the commander responsible for the party to disperse it immediately in view of the expected danger would have saved lives and prevented the physical and mental injuries of hundreds of partygoers, including the plaintiffs.”
The Israeli government ignored warnings years, months, and days before October 7. According to the New York Times, Tel Aviv received a detailed copy of the battle plans used by Hamas. “Israeli officials obtained Hamas’s battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, documents, emails and interviews show,” the report says. “But Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out.”
Haaretz notes that in the months leading up to the attack, the Israeli intelligence community received a report from a source inside that Hamas was gearing up for the assault on southern Israel. The outlet additionally reports that the day before the attack, the Israeli military had enough details about the attack to begin to prepare and warn the Nova concertgoers.
Netanyahu has refused to accept responsibility for the attack and claims that an investigation is inappropriate while the war in Gaza is ongoing. Throughout his decades as Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu has supported Hamas in order to prevent negotiations on a two-state solution.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
I did nazi this coming…
I see…!!!!! You Zee, it must be………. here….!!!!!!!
It’s absolutely the right time to take these murderous criminals to task.
The best way to avert WAR is by utilizing PEACE. And it is relatively cheap, cheaper than bombs, guns…. Billions of lives are counting on you, ALL OF YOU.
Yeah, but it doesn’t pay the bills for the MIC and all those attached thereto.
Tell that to Hamas and Putin.
Oh yeah, the Nuland Clinton coup puts Nazis in Ukie Govt who want to join NATO to put first strike Nukes on Russian border. And this is somehow equivalent …????? Was this your idea or was it your alpaca’s??
YOU ALWAYS HERE CALLING US ON RUSS SIDE PUTIN LOVERS, BUT YOUR CHEERING FOR THE NAZI WHO DRIVE THE WAR WITH THEIR RUSSIA HATE & NAZI LOVE WOULD SEEM TO MAKE YOU A THIRD REICH LOVER!!!
COULD YOU SAY THAT A LITTLE LOUDER PLEASE, I DIDN’T HEAR!
I usually lay off the all caps option, but it dawned on my that if we who are against this sub-moronic war to “weaken Russia” which actually, (surprise, surprise) seems to have shown the weakness of the U.S. & its NATO Gnomes in the face of Russia’s technologically superior array of weapons and production prowess keeping troops supplied. Something the U.S. & NATO appear to have failed to be able to do.
Still we must be careful to realize how there are no infallible sources for any & all information in the fog of war.
When a state embraces deception as their MO it should be no surprise when it’s leader uses any extreme moves to stay out of jail!!!!!!