Netanyahu Couple's Conspiracy Theories Show Israel Hasn't Learned From Oct. 7

Recent statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, suggest a failure to grasp the complexities surrounding the October 7th Hamas attacks, according to an opinion piece. Sara Netanyahu, in an interview, alluded to former IDF General Yair Golan having prior knowledge of the impending massacre, questioning how he could know before the Prime Minister. The author interprets this as an attempt to frame Golan's actions as suspicious rather than heroic, fitting a black-and-white worldview.

Similarly, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated in a separate interview that if he had been woken up on the morning of October 7th, the events could have been prevented. The article criticizes this narrative, arguing it ignores Netanyahu's own policies, such as strengthening Hamas to weaken the Palestinian Authority, and past decisions like the kite terror and the Hezbollah tent incident, which also involved a failure to act despite awareness.

The piece contends that both statements simplify the complex chain of events leading to the October 7th disaster, reducing it to a single decision or moment. This tendency to avoid complexity, the author argues, was evident during the judicial reform debate and has intensified since the war, with political factions assigning blame solely to the opposing side, the right blaming the "generals' junta" and the left pointing to elected officials.

As the next election approaches, the article warns that the focus may remain on assigning blame for the October 7th failures rather than on learning from them. The author calls for a more nuanced approach, urging politicians to acknowledge the bravery of those with differing views, recognize the failures of their own supporters, and understand that national disasters result from a series of decisions and failures, not a single cause.