Times of Israel: Netanyahu Attempts to Shift Blame for October 7 Failures

The Times of Israel published an editorial sharply criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of seeking to distance himself from political responsibility and placing full blame on security agencies for the failure preceding Hamas’s attack on "October 7, 2023".

Writer David Horovitz stated that no one in Israel denies the security leadership’s responsibility for failing to prevent the attack, but Netanyahu, who was prime minister at the time and had led the government for most of the previous years, is attempting to portray himself as a victim of being inadequately informed in time.

Netanyahu claimed that security officials deliberately refrained from waking him during the hours preceding the attack, asserting that he would have ordered a wide mobilization if properly briefed, and that the course of events would have changed.

However, the newspaper argued that responsibility for the failure cannot be confined to security agencies, noting that Netanyahu played a role over many years in shaping policy toward the Gaza Strip, including supporting the continuation of Qatari financial transfers to the region. The article contended that critics argue this policy contributed to sustaining Hamas’s rule and provided resources that helped the group enhance its military capabilities.

The paper also accused Netanyahu of clinging to incorrect assessments about Hamas’s ability to launch a large-scale attack, despite his current assertion that he never downplayed the group’s desire to destroy Israel. The article reminded readers of past statements by the prime minister praising the success of Israel’s deterrence policy in Gaza.

The newspaper also cited reports indicating that Netanyahu had, years before the October 7 attack, been briefed on intelligence regarding Hamas’s plan known as "Ariha Walls," which Netanyahu denies. In contrast, the paper confirmed that his office received a military memo about suspicious Hamas activity hours before the attack, but he said the memo was not classified as urgent.

The editorial criticized Netanyahu’s refusal to establish a formal, widely empowered inquiry committee to investigate the failures of October 7, arguing that only such a committee could thoroughly examine the political and security decisions made before and during the attack.

The criticism was not limited to the pre-attack period; the paper noted that Netanyahu’s performance after October 7 has been marked by what it described as "tactical successes but a lack of strategic vision." It highlighted Hamas’s continued rebuilding of its capabilities, Hezbollah’s efforts to regain influence, and the stagnation of declared goals regarding Iran.

It also held the Israeli government responsible for weakening the home front due to policies exempting Haredi youth from military service, ongoing tensions over judicial independence, and what it described as government tolerance of extremist settler violence against Palestinians.

The Times of Israel concluded its article by stating that the October 7 attack occurred during Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister, and that his attempts to fully shift responsibility onto security leadership do not negate his role in shaping the policies that preceded the attack, nor do they absolve him of political accountability for the failures that led to one of the worst security disasters in modern Israeli history.