Former Likud Member Claims Netanyahu Was Kept in Dark About Oct. 7

Tali Gottlieb, a former Likud party member and current candidate for the Otzma Yehudit party, stated on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unaware of the Hamas attack on October 7. Gottlieb asserted that crucial intelligence indicating an impending war was deliberately withheld from the Prime Minister.

Despite her recent move to Otzma Yehudit, Gottlieb emphasized her continued loyalty to Netanyahu, stating, "My loyalty to Prime Minister Netanyahu is unconditional, even when his associates are busy briefing against the mighty Otzma Yehudit party." She directly addressed Netanyahu's responsibility for the events preceding the massacre, claiming significant information was intentionally kept from him.

"On this day when lies are hurled at the Prime Minister, I, a candidate for the Otzma Yehudit party, emphasize that not only did the Prime Minister know nothing about the October inferno, but the terrible signs indicating war were deliberately hidden from him," Gottlieb wrote.

Gottlieb further identified what she termed Netanyahu's "mistake": choosing to act statesmanlike and refrain from using terms like "rebellion" and "coup" against those who acted against him. She argued that this "excessive statesmanship" came at a price, leading to the "mud and lies hurled and to be hurled at him from the creators of the inferno, who are busy with self-whitewashing and sanctifying any means to achieve their goal."