Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized on Sunday morning for a statement on Saturday night attacking the defense forces, especially intelligence.
טעיתי. דברים שאמרתי בעקבות מסיבת העיתונאים לא היו צריכים להיאמר ואני מתנצל על כך. אני נותן גיבוי מלא לכל ראשי זרועות הביטחון. אני מחזק את הרמטכ״ל ואת מפקדי וחיילי צה״ל שנמצאים בחזית ונלחמים על הבית. יחד ננצח.
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 29, 2023
The tweet was posted after Netanyahu refused to explicitly admit that he bears some responsibility for October 7 when pressed during a press conference, where he merely said that everyone would have to give the public answers, including him.
הבוקר הזה במיוחד אני מבקש לגבות ולחזק את כל גורמי הביטחון וחיילי צה”ל – כולל הרמטכ״ל, ראש אמ”ן וראש השב”כ. כשאנחנו נמצאים במלחמה, מנהיגות צריכה לגלות אחריות, להחליט לעשות את הדברים הנכונים ולחזק את הכוחות באופן שהם יוכלו לממש את שאנחנו דורשים מהם. כל פעולה או אמירה אחרת – פוגעות…
— בני גנץ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) October 29, 2023
Later, he tweeted in a post that blamed the defense and intelligence officials before deleting it on Sunday morning shortly before his apology.
“At no point, was a warning given to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Hamas’s intention to start a war,” he wrote. “On the contrary, all the defense officials, including the heads of the Intelligence Directorate and the Shin Bet [Israel Security Service], assessed that Hamas was deterred. This was the assessment submitted time after time to the prime minister and the cabinet by all the entities in the defense and the intelligence community right up until the war broke out.”
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is one of the last defense and political leaders to refuse to take responsibility for the attack. Multiple ministers and MKs in the coalition have taken responsibility, including Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as have many leaders in the defense establishment.
Even people who weren’t in the government when the attack happened have taken responsibility, with former prime minister Naftali Bennett and former defense minister Benny Gantz both saying that they bore responsibility for the attack.
Netanyahu’s post was met with criticism
Netanyahu’s post was met with heavy criticism from throughout the Knesset, with some urging him to retract his statement while others reiterated their support for the defense system.
“When at war, leadership needs to behave responsibly, do all the right things, and strengthen the forces in such a way that they can do what we need them to do,” said Gantz. “Any other action or statement harms the abilities of the people and its forces. The prime minister must retract his statement from last night and stop dealing with the issue.”
He ended by telling the defense forces that he loves, appreciates, and supports them.
Smotrich also spoke out against Netanyahu’s statement, saying that weakening the IDF’s commanders was wrong. He added that now was the time to be responsible and to support and strengthen one another even when they are wrong.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu had crossed a redline with his statement.
“While the IDF is heroically fighting against Hamas and Hezbollah, he’s working on attempts to put the blame on them instead of backing them up,” he said. “The attempts to escape responsibility and put the blame on the defense system weakens the IDF while it’s fighting Israel’s enemies.”
He also posted a video of a statement he made just before Yom Kippur where he said he had been warned by defense officials that Israel was about to find itself in a multi-front war.
“The intelligence materials that I was basing off of were given to Netanyahu as well,” he said. “Those who gave the intelligence were the same defense people that Netanyahu is now blaming for not warning him.”
“At midnight, when our soldiers are in Gaza or in the area, it’s best to pray for them and support them,” said National Unity Minister Chili Tropper. “We definitely shouldn’t be settling scores with them.”
After the criticism, Netanyahu tweeted that he was wrong to make the statement and that the defense forces have his full support.
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