Netanyahu Clarifies 'No Betrayal' on Oct. 7, Blames Intelligence Failure

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly stated that there was "no betrayal" on October 7, directly contradicting insinuations made by his wife, Sara Netanyahu, in a recent interview. Sara Netanyahu had suggested that retired Major General Yair Golan might have had prior knowledge of the Hamas attack, citing his early readiness on the day. The Prime Minister clarified that while he does not believe there was betrayal, he acknowledges a "big failure" in intelligence assessments that led to the devastating Hamas assault.

Netanyahu explained that intelligence indicated signs of an impending attack, but a decision was made not to "provoke Hamas" by taking preemptive action, and he was not awakened. He characterized this as a failure, not a betrayal, and dismissed his wife's comments as "nonsense," stating she did not claim there was betrayal.

Yair Golan responded sharply to Netanyahu's remarks via social media, accusing the Prime Minister of knowing the truth about the absence of betrayal and criticizing him for not apologizing to soldiers and condemning the "lies" originating from his home. Golan stated that he and others were "saving lives" on October 7 while Netanyahu was inactive, and called Netanyahu's statement an attempt to minimize damage rather than an apology.

The Ynet report notes that the Likud party has recently promoted a narrative suggesting that if security leadership had alerted Netanyahu during the night, the October 7 massacre could have been averted or been less severe. However, critics point out that the prolonged strengthening of Hamas and Hezbollah along Israel's borders without significant action also places responsibility on the Prime Minister, alongside the heads of the IDF and Shin Bet.

Previously, Sara Netanyahu's interview on Channel 14 had fueled a conspiracy theory suggesting Yair Golan's early preparedness indicated foreknowledge of the attack. In response, Golan sent Sara Netanyahu a letter threatening a lawsuit for 2.5 million shekels unless she publicly apologized and retracted her "defamatory statements." Sara Netanyahu has since rejected these accusations, asserting she merely "stated facts" and that Golan should be the one to apologize.