Israeli Officials Accused of Evading Responsibility for October 7th

An Israeli columnist argues that many Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Minister Miki Zohar, are employing a strategy to downplay and obscure the significance of the October 7th attacks. This strategy, according to the author, is encapsulated in the phrase "it happened on our watch," which is presented as an attempt to evade responsibility and portray their roles as coincidental rather than consequential.

The article contends that by framing their presence in government as a mere "watch" or shift, similar to a guard duty, these officials are disconnecting themselves from the meaning of their positions, the choices they made, and the state itself. This narrative suggests that if others had been in their places, the outcome would have been the same, thereby negating the need for accountability, investigation, or apologies.

The author uses Miki Zohar as an example, contrasting his earlier aggressive political style with a more state-oriented approach. However, the piece suggests that Zohar's underlying desire for "power, money, and honor" persists, now managed through more subtle means. The current "Miki Zohar of now" represents a stage of conscience where he and his government colleagues are allegedly manipulating reality to avoid taking responsibility for the events of October 7th.

The article draws a historical parallel to past Israeli ministers who, when faced with accusations or investigations, would acknowledge their faults, apologize, resign, or even face severe personal consequences, citing the case of former Minister of Housing Avraham Ofer who committed suicide amid a corruption investigation in 1977. In contrast, the current government's approach is described as a blurring of reality, exemplified by instances where leaders allegedly misremember or refer to the date of the attacks as "the sixth," "the eighth," or "the ninth."

This deliberate obfuscation, the author claims, transforms a deeply traumatic national event, marked by the slaughter of civilians, the invasion from Gaza, and the occupation of the Gaza envelope by terrorists, into a series of "unpleasant events" that occurred on a random date under the "coincidental watch" of ministers. This framing, the article asserts, aims to eliminate the need for any investigation or inquiry, suggesting that the past is irrelevant and nothing has changed, despite the profound and lasting impact on the Israeli public.