Expert Blames Systemic Failures for October 7th Blindness
Ofer Shelah, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), stated that Israel's failure to anticipate the October 7th Hamas attacks was a result of systemic blindness, not a single missed warning. He asserted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bears absolute responsibility for the policies that strengthened Hamas and for the army's lack of readiness, given his long tenure.
Shelah commented on reports that the President of the United Arab Emirates had warned Netanyahu days before the attack. While acknowledging the report's impact, Shelah expressed doubt that such a warning could have altered policy. He emphasized that the "blindness" leading up to October 7th was systemic and partially voluntary, suggesting that addressing this deep-seated issue is crucial to preventing future catastrophes.
Regarding the current situation, Shelah criticized Israel's ongoing "open war" policy, which he believes lacks strategic foresight and ignores long-term consequences. He noted that public discourse avoids confronting systemic security issues due to fear of damaging institutions, leading to a closed-off crisis.
Shelah also warned that Israel's actions in the region, such as operations in Syria, are creating future threats and pushing the country towards becoming a full-fledged enemy. He observed a lack of coherent policy and a prevailing sentiment that "everyone is against us."
On the topic of tensions between the US and Iran in the Persian Gulf, Shelah believes neither side is seeking escalation or a resolution, and upcoming US elections make a large-scale conflict unlikely.
