Caspit Slams Levinson's Hamas Policy Claims as 'Mind Engineering'

Radio host Ben Caspit sharply criticized journalist Chaim Levinson during a broadcast on Radio 103FM, accusing him of "mind engineering" for his views on political responsibility for the policy towards Hamas and the events of October 7th. The debate centered on who bears political responsibility for the approach to Hamas, its funding, and the intelligence failures leading up to the October 7th attacks.

Caspit initially questioned Levinson's neutrality on the Qatar issue, then presented an argument to co-host Yinon Magal. Caspit proposed that if Levinson's claims were true, then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who served for 19 years, should bear the majority of the responsibility, compared to Bennett's one year in office.

Levinson rejected this division, asserting that the concept of weakening the Palestinian Authority and strengthening Hamas was "invented by Netanyahu." He argued that Bennett lacked the "courage or ideology" to support the PA in Gaza, leading to policies that bypassed the Authority and funneled funds to Hamas. Caspit countered by citing Netanyahu's autobiography, which he claims details pressure from both Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett during Operation Protective Edge and other periods to act against Hamas's growth.

Caspit further stated that Lieberman resigned over policy disagreements, while Bennett engaged with military leaders and demanded policy changes from the cabinet during Protective Edge. Levinson maintained that no significant change in policy towards Gaza occurred even during Bennett's premiership. Caspit conceded that previous governments shared responsibility but insisted that attempts were made to alter policy regarding funding, its tracking, and responses to terror events like incendiary balloons when Bennett and Lieberman were involved.