How Netanyahu used Oct. 7 Op. to 'wage the crusade' he always sought
4 Min Read
Jeremy Scahill details that Netanyahu, like the previous US President George Bush, exploited the Palestinian Resistance operation on October 7 as a pretext to "wage the crusade."
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes a seat before meeting with France's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, right, on February 5, 2024. (AP)
Long before Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted to his Western allies about what he aspired to be the "New Middle East," an analysis by Jeremy Scahill in The Intercept argued.
On the map presented by Netanyahu during his address at the UNGA, "Israel" extended from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, with Gaza and the West Bank completely removed, along with any other Palestinian existence.
However, Netanyahu's dream of normalization with Saudi Arabia, as well as a "visionary corridor" that would be the "New Middle East" connecting India and Europe by marine, rail, energy pipelines, and fiber-optic connections, came to a screeching halt on October 7.
According to Scahill, the core aim that remained unchanged and defined Netanyahu's entire political career was the destruction of Palestine and its people.
Scahill details that Netanyahu, like former US President George Bush, exploited the Palestinian Resistance's Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7 as a pretext to "wage the crusade" he has been planning for his entire career.
The author argues that such an opportunity was provided to Netanyahu on a silver platter following his massive failure and unpopularity within the Israeli occupation.
The violent ethnonationalist mindset that underpins Netanyahu's rule began before his term and will continue after his departure. However, his leadership has represented the most extreme and destructive manifestation of the Israeli project, Scahill details.
Netanyahu recognizes the value of framing and commanding the narrative, especially when addressing American viewers. For decades, he has championed the Israeli propaganda philosophy of hasbara - defined by the author as the "notion that Israelis must be aggressive about explaining and defending their activities to the West - to influence his rivals and supporters, domestic and international, into serving his goals.
In his memoir, Scahill recalls how former President Barack Obama wrote that Netanyahu’s “vision of himself as the chief defender of the Jewish people against calamity allowed him to justify almost anything that would keep him in power."
The Israeli government quickly launched a multifaceted propaganda campaign to garner unprecedented backing from the United States and other Western nations for a massive attack against Gaza's entire people.
According to the Israelis, opposing their genocide of Palestinians is antisemitic; to dispute their claims about the events of October 7 is equivalent to Holocaust denial; and to condemn the mass death of Palestinian civilians is to support the Palestinian Resistance they are fighting.
At the heart of "Israel's" information warfare strategy is a tactical goal to dehumanize Palestinians and overwhelm public discourse with false, unverified, and unverifiable claims.
In one of the most recent episodes of debunking Israeli lies, a report by The Intercept detailed all the factors that affect The New York Times' coverage, including internal debates regarding the false narrative it ran about Hamas sexually exploiting Israeli captives.
The report detailed how NYT adopted Israeli lies, broadcast them, and later withdrew them having failed to prove them in any way.
Read more: Debunked: How an Israeli strike killed 100s in Gaza Baptist Hospital
Netanyahu 'bad f*****g guy', Biden says during private talks: Reports
US President Joe Biden allegedly referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "bad f*****g guy" during private conversations, as per Politico.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates promptly denied the claim, asserting that President Biden did not make such a statement and emphasizing the longstanding and respectful relationship between the two leaders.
The reported remark comes amidst a backdrop of increasing tension between Biden and Netanyahu over the past year. Disagreements on issues such as the government's judicial reform plan, the conduct of far-right members in the Israeli government, and Gaza-related policies have strained the relationship between the two leaders.
Over 120 days into the war, the Israeli military is yet to achieve any of its main declared objectives.
In a Wednesday press conference, Netanyahu said that reaching "victory" in Gaza will require "months" and not years, and this can't be accomplished with the "military collapse [of Resistance Hamas]. There will not be a civilian collapse [of Gaza government] without a military one."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin said the next phase of the ground invasion in Gaza after Khan Younis will be Rafah, noting that the war on the Strip "will continue till the end."
