Netanyahu Criticized for 15 Years of 'Closing Eyes' to Hamas Threat

An Israeli news analyst argues that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's focus on a hypothetical scenario of being woken up on the night of October 7th distracts from his own responsibility for the Hamas attack. Netanyahu has stated that if he had been alerted, the massacre would not have occurred on the scale seen. However, the analyst contends that the more critical question is why Netanyahu, who led the government for 15 years prior to October 7th, "chose to close his eyes" to the growing Hamas threat.

During his tenure, Netanyahu pursued a policy of containment towards Hamas, characterized by measured responses and attempts to buy quiet through successive ceasefires, despite repeated provocations from the organization. These provocations included building fortifications, launching rockets, constructing tunnels, smuggling weapons, and inciting border riots, even targeting Netanyahu directly with a rocket. The analyst asserts that these actions were met with only periodic, proportionate responses.

The article highlights the persistent warnings from local leaders in the Gaza border region, some of whom were close to Netanyahu, which were allegedly ignored. The author emphasizes that accountability for the years preceding the attack is crucial to prevent future disasters, drawing a visceral connection to the lingering smell of death from October 7th.

The piece further criticizes the continued downplaying of threats, such as incendiary balloons, which are likened to the earlier policy of "containment." The author questions where the political leadership was when these balloons were launched, referencing Netanyahu's own past statements that the military is an instrument for implementing government policy. The article concludes by reiterating that the crucial question is not why Netanyahu wasn't woken up on one specific night, but why he chose to ignore the threat for 15 years.