Ben-Gvir Blames Security Chiefs for October 7 Failures
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Minister Ben-Gvir blamed top security officials for October 7th failures.
- He accused them of misleading Prime Minister Netanyahu.
- Ben-Gvir stated alternative views were suppressed within the military.
- He defended campaign signs suggesting he could have prevented the attack.
- He criticized the left for their reaction to the signs.
Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sharply criticized Israel's security establishment on Monday, the three-year anniversary of the October 7th massacre. Speaking on Galei Tzahal radio, Ben-Gvir stated that the "main culprits" for the failures were the Chief of Staff, the head of the Shin Bet, and the head of Military Intelligence. He asserted that these officials "greatly misled Netanyahu" by failing to provide him with accurate intelligence.
Ben-Gvir added that if he had been Defense Minister at the time, he would not have solely relied on their assessments. He suggested that alternative strategies and viewpoints existed within the military but were not allowed to be heard. "It turns out that within the army there were quite a few such methods and opinions, they just weren't allowed to make their voices heard," he said.
Earlier, Ben-Gvir addressed controversy surrounding election signs posted by his party, Otzma Yehudit. The signs declared that if Ben-Gvir had been Defense Minister, October 7th would not have occurred. Ben-Gvir commented on the "whining of the left" in response to the signs, stating it "only clarifies to me that they too, deep down, know the truth."
He recalled that before October 7th, he had called for targeted assassinations, but was dismissed by those who said he didn't understand because he wasn't a general. He also claimed that when he warned Israel was "captured by a concept" and needed to defeat the enemy, he was mocked. "Even now they will shout and attack. They will talk and we will work," he concluded.
