2023-12-03 05:00:00
Many Israelis hold Prime Minister Netanyahu responsible for failing to prevent the October 7 attack. His attention was focused on his controversial overhaul of the country’s justice system seen by a significant part of the population as a maneuver to avoid prison for corruption.
Even though the detailed plans of the Hamas operation were known to its secret services, its government was unable to obstruct it.
Since then, its management of the Israeli response, focused on revenge rather than an achievable solution, has made the situation worse. In Jerusalem, almost daily demonstrations took place calling for Netanyahu’s resignation. Now that the truce is broken with Hamas, it is accused of having resumed the war rather than doing everything to save the lives of the Israeli hostages still held.
His future will be determined by his actions in the coming days. Netanyahu needs a boost. He would push for the army to make the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar its priority.
Whatever happens, this war will end his political career. It reveals the total failure of Netanyahu’s leadership and the incredible failings of the intelligence services. A surprising level of stupidity and arrogance (quiet assurance of Israel’s superiority over its enemies) which has so far caused more than 1,200 Israeli deaths and more than 15,000 Palestinian deaths, including more than 5,000 children. The Gaza Strip flattened by thousands of Israeli bombs.
Bush Jr no better than Bibi Netanyahu
Americans experienced something similar during the September 11 attacks. Beginning in the spring of 2001, the CIA began warning the White House that a terrorist attack was imminent. Just a month before the attacks, on August 6, Bush Jr. and his team received a briefing from CIA Director George Tenet titled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike U.S.” that described how he intended to hijack planes and that New York was a possible target. Bush did nothing.
An FBI analyst in Minneapolis was even alarmed by the presence of an Arab with a terrorist profile who was taking flying lessons focused on learning how to take off. She informed her superiors in Washington, who did not take her concerns seriously.
Bush Jr also responded stupidly by attacking an enemy of Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, who had nothing to do with it. Remember George W. Bush smiling in front of the poster proclaiming “Mission Accomplished.” Twenty years later, American soldiers are still fighting in Iraq.
Preventive leaks required
It seems that the New York Times and Israeli media outlets were briefed by a disgusted analyst at her superiors’ inaction to take action to counter the brewing attack. Well done. What is regrettable is that she did not release the information sooner.
Once Hamas’ attack plan was made public, it reportedly refrained from moving forward, believing that Israel would immediately take defensive measures.
This is a new and strong argument for insiders to leak secret information to the media when their superiors’ inaction endangers public safety or state security.
We have experienced a comparable situation in Canada in recent months. If a member of CSIS had not sunk Globe and Mail and to Global News detailed information on Chinese interference in Canada, this would have continued without the Trudeau government doing anything to put an end to it.
And when the affair made headlines, Justin Trudeau tried to deflect blame by appointing a Chinese sympathizer to investigate it. Fortunately, opposition in the Commons and the media forced him to appoint an independent judge to lead the inquiry.
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