On Tuesday evening, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the results of an investigation conducted by the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) into the events of October 7, 2023, stating that the findings "do not answer the questions."
اضافة اعلان
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the trust crisis between Netanyahu and Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar has "reached its peak," with Netanyahu possibly considering dismissing Bar. However, Netanyahu may face difficulties and opposition from the government's legal adviser if he decides to remove him from his position.
Channel 13 reported that Netanyahu’s circle launched an "unprecedented attack" on the Shin Bet chief following the investigation, quoting sources close to the prime minister as saying that Bar had completely failed in handling Hamas and the October 7 events, and that the investigation provided "no answers to any questions."
According to Al Jazeera Net, the Shin Bet admitted on Tuesday that it had failed to assess the capabilities of the Hamas movement before October 7, and hinted at Netanyahu's responsibility for "shaping a failed policy over the years," according to Israel's official public broadcasting agency.
After the release of the Shin Bet report, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and the head of the "National Camp" party, Benny Gantz, called on Netanyahu to apologize, asserting that the prime minister was "trying to blame others."
Failure and Negligence
Yedioth Ahronoth cited a statement from Netanyahu’s office, which read that "the results of the investigation do not match the magnitude of the failure and negligence committed by the agency and its head. The Shin Bet chief failed in all matters related to combating Hamas in general and in the events of October 7 in particular."
The statement pointed out that "the Shin Bet chief did not deem it appropriate to wake up the prime minister on the night of the October 7 operation, a decision that was the clearest one to make."
The public broadcasting agency mentioned via its platform "X" that the Shin Bet report concluded that "there were gaps and problems in handling intelligence information in general, and in the oversight mechanisms of intelligence operations specifically on the night of October 7."
The report stated that "our conviction that Hamas was focused on the West Bank was one of the reasons we failed to warn about the October 7 attack."
It is worth noting that several Israeli military and intelligence officials have resigned from their positions, acknowledging some responsibility for the October 7 failure. Meanwhile, Netanyahu continues to refuse to take responsibility, ignoring calls from the opposition for his government to resign and for early elections to be held.
