Olmert Slams Netanyahu on Pre-Oct 7 Warning, Warns IDF Chief of Staff of ICC

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that if reports of Netanyahu being warned before the October 7th Hamas attacks are true, his failure to act was a "treacherous crime."

Olmert also condemned Israeli policy in the West Bank, alleging widespread, discriminatory actions against Palestinians supported by government ministers, specifically naming Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich as symbols of this "brutal policy." He claimed security forces often arrest Palestinian victims of settler violence instead of the perpetrators, and that the Defense Minister declared early on that administrative arrest warrants would not be issued against Jews, implying a double standard.

Addressing the military leadership, Olmert warned that the IDF Chief of Staff could become a target for the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He explained that under international law, the military commander is the sovereign in occupied or managed territory and thus formally responsible for actions within it, even if they are difficult to prevent.

Olmert also discussed his new book, "We Are All Arizona," suggesting it reveals more about past nuclear-related events due to eased censorship, as Syria is no longer the same country and Bashar al-Assad is not the same president.