Analyst Slams Netanyahu, Cites PM's Past Statements on Responsibility

Barak Sari, a political analyst, sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday following the release of a new election video. Sari accused Netanyahu of shifting blame for the October 7th failures entirely onto the IDF and Shin Bet, a claim made in a post on the social media platform X.

Sari recalled Netanyahu's own words from 2007, when he served as opposition leader during the Winograd Commission's inquiry into the Second Lebanon War. At that time, Netanyahu stated that the prime minister bears ultimate responsibility for national security and cannot blame subordinates for strategic failures. "The prime minister is responsible for the country's security. What are you there for?" Netanyahu had asked.

Further referencing a 2008 Knesset speech where Netanyahu criticized then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Sari highlighted Netanyahu's past assertion that "if the concept of responsibility has meaning, the prime minister must also bear responsibility and go home. A leader cannot take credit only for successes and must take full responsibility for failures as well."

Sari concluded his post with a pointed remark directed at the current prime minister: "Bibi, learn from Netanyahu." The context for Sari's criticism is Netanyahu's election video, which incorporates a news segment from Kan 11 discussing the prime minister's actions shortly before October 7th. The segment includes a report on Netanyahu convening a security assessment due to escalating tensions and a political correspondent's report on the IDF and Shin Bet's message that continued quiet on the Gaza border depended on economic measures for Gaza.

The video and Sari's response bring renewed attention to the debate over political and security responsibility for the October 7th events, and Netanyahu's past pronouncements on the prime minister's accountability during security failures.