We lost the war, October 7 will affect us for years: Israeli media
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Israeli media discusses the Israeli military and political failure during the war, stressing its failure.
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Israeli soldiers work on an armored military vehicle near the Gaza Strip on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (AP)
Israeli media reported that "Israel" fell short of achieving its objectives during the war, underscoring a resounding defeat.
Haaretz's political affairs correspondent, Chaim Levinson, wrote in an article, "We have lost the war. This is the clear conclusion for every Israeli," adding that "the difficulty of admitting this sums up the entire private and public psychology of Israel."
He continued, "We have before us a clear, sharp, and demanding reality, and we must begin to comprehend it, understand it, and draw conclusions from it for the future. But it is not nice to say that we lost, so we are lying to ourselves."
Levinson pointed out that after six months, the settlers had become "prisoners of the worst leadership in the history of Israel."
"It is not certain that we will be able to return to the northern border, safely," he said, stressing that "Hezbollah has changed the equation in its favor."
Upholding the illusion
He also said that there is now a high probability that over the years, any flight on the northern border will be "targeted," and that not all captives are guaranteed to return. "Any Iranian threat is bound to shake us, our international standing is damaged, and our leadership's weakness has been exposed."
"We've managed to uphold an illusion of strength for years, boasting intelligent individuals and a formidable military. However, we're merely a small Jewish village with an air force."
The Israeli correspondent highlighted "The challenge in acknowledging our defeat stems from the reverence for the military, where criticism is taboo. It's only on October 7th that we can, albeit briefly, express disappointment."
He contended that "Rafah is just the latest illusion being touted by those claiming victory,...by the time they reach Rafah, the significance of the event will have faded away."
Levinson emphasized that the reality is that the objectives of the war will not be met and Hamas will not be "eradicated", adding that "Prisoners will not be returned through military coercion and security will not be restored."
He continued, saying: "The louder the trumpets shout: We win, the more we lose. They lie. We must get used to it. Life was safer before October 7. The blow will be felt for many years to come," stressing that "international isolation will not disappear," adding that "The dead won't come back and neither will many of the prisoners."
Several other news outlets have criticized Netanyahu's policy in Gaza and its failure to meet its desired objectives.
Biden criticizes Netanyahu'a policy
Two days ago, Biden criticized during an interview Netanyahu's strategy in the war on Gaza, characterizing it as a "mistake" and calling for a ceasefire.
“Well, I will tell you, I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told Univision, in an interview taped just days after the Israeli occupation killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.
“I think it’s outrageous that those four, three vehicles were hit by drones and taken out on a highway where it wasn’t like it was along the shore, it wasn’t like there was a convoy moving there,” he continued, according to a Univision transcript of the interview.
Biden's statement marked one of his strongest criticisms against Netanyahu's government's policy in Gaza. The president emphasized his call for "Israel" to agree to a ceasefire and asserted that there is "no excuse" for not providing humanitarian aid.
