Netanyahu denies report on reservist protest leading to Oct 7
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The arguments on Sunday were the most recent indication of strain within "Israel's" war cabinet, specifically between Netanyahu and his political adversary Benny Gantz.
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Israeli police disperse demonstrators, mostly military reservists, who block a road outside the house of Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin during a protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to overhaul the judicial system, in "Modiin", occupied Palestine, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied a link between protest by reservists that led Hamas to launch Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.
The arguments on Sunday were the most recent indication of strain within "Israel's" war cabinet, specifically between Netanyahu and his political adversary Benny Gantz, who joined an opposition emergency administration to assist in overseeing the war.
It started when news outlets like Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu might need to look into whether the months-long demonstrations against his government—which included reservists announcing they would not report for duty—were a contributing factor in Hamas' decision to launch their operation.
"In wartime, leaders must show responsibility, Netanyahu must retract his statements," Gantz posted on X. Furthermore, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Netanyahu crossed a red line, and said that he must apologize for his statement.
Afterward, a statement was released by Netanyahu's office explaining that "Contrary to what was published, the prime minister did not in any way say that the (reservists') refusal was what led Hamas to attack 'Israel.'"
The Israeli Prime Minister had tried to absolve himself of the responsibility for the massive intelligence failure on October 7, as he said he received no warning regarding Hamas operations from either of the two intelligence apparatuses.
A week prior, Netanyahu poked fun at his intelligence chiefs, claiming they never informed him that Hamas was organizing a large-scale strike. However, after Gantz and other officials requested a correction, Netanyahu eventually apologized.
Netanyahu led 'Israel' to worst catastrophe in history: Israeli media
Former Israeli Mossad chief Danny Yatom said Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has caused a lot of harm to "Israel," affirming that he continues to do so during the war on Gaza.
According to Israeli media reports, Yatom stated that "Netanyahu still prioritizes his own interests and then those of Israel," indicating that his "considerations are impure," and calling for his replacement.
Yatom explained in his statement that one of the problems is that Netanyahu "believes he is the only one in the world who can manage Israel," and if he leaves, it will collapse, adding that "with him, Israel will collapse or has already collapsed."
Israeli media quoted the families of the Israeli settlers who died in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood as saying that "Benjamin Netanyahu led Israel to the biggest catastrophe in its history."
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
