Israeli newspaper Haaretz has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of exploiting the recently proposed committee for investigating the Israeli failures of October 7 as a political tool aimed at undermining his opposition.

The report suggests that Netanyahu is leveraging the committee and the push for the death penalty to create divisions among political rivals, a strategy described by Haaretz as "a divide-and-rule trick against his political rivals."

Debate over death penalty raises political concerns

Haaretz noted that while debates over the death penalty typically focus on ethical concerns and the law’s structural differences in treatment between Palestinians and Jews, the accelerated legislative push carries deeper political implications.

The newspaper argued that the move could serve to dismantle the opposition from within.

"Only in Israel does the head of the opposition, a former prime minister, have no position on a fateful issue like mass executions," Aluf Benn, editor-in-chief of Haaretz, wrote.

Far-right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was also criticized in the report.

Haaretz said that Ben-Gvir appears to be building his political campaign “on the bodies of those condemned to death,” drawing a comparison to former United States President Bill Clinton.

The newspaper added that Ben-Gvir’s ally, Prison Authority Commissioner Kobi Yakobi, could reportedly ensure the availability of hundreds of Palestinians facing execution prior to elections, which would boost the chances of his Otzma Yehudit party.

Netanyahu’s political strategy and opposition pressure

According to Haaretz, Netanyahu aims to marginalize figures like Yair Golan, Ayman Odeh, Ahmad Tibi, and Mansour Abbas, considering them “illegitimate partners” in any potential government led by Zionist parties. The newspaper's editor-in-chief said that this strategy effectively limits the chances of forming a future government not headed by the Likud party.

Israeli Minister Zeev Elkin said that the commission is expected to determine that the Oslo Accords of 1993 and the Israeli government's disengagement from Gaza in 2005 are what led to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7. This, according to Haaretz, indicates that Netanyahu aims to push the blame for the immense losses suffered during the Palestinian Resistance's operation on former prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon, who took those respective decisions. 

However, the newspaper says that despite the best efforts of the commission, it will not be able to "absolve Netanyahu of responsibility for abandoning the communities near Gaza."

Read more: Majority of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign over October 7