Miki Zohar Blames Opposition Leaders for October 7th Failures

Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar has deflected questions about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu taking responsibility for the October 7th Hamas attacks, instead pointing fingers at opposition leaders and former security officials. Speaking on the radio program of Gideon Okou and Amihai Atali on 103fm, Zohar questioned whether former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, former IDF Major General Yair Golan, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman had taken responsibility for the events.

Zohar argued that responsibility for the failures leading up to the attack should be shared among all those who held leadership positions in the country. He stated, "Everyone is responsible, everyone who was in the leadership of the country. Anyone who thinks that the change bloc can be cleared of responsibility is not objective and is not honest." He implied that singling out one leader for blame was unwarranted.

The minister's remarks come amidst ongoing political turmoil surrounding accountability for the October 7th massacre. Zohar, a member of the Likud party, emphasized his view on national responsibility, suggesting that the "change bloc", a term often used to refer to opposition parties, should also share in the blame.

Separately, Zohar recently announced the opening of nominations for the 2026 Israeli Film Awards, organized by his ministry, aiming to recognize local creators and original Israeli productions.