Israeli Politicians Criticize Netanyahu Over Trust, War Conduct, and Security

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, stated on Monday, October 12, that he does not trust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing a lack of significant change after three years of war and unachieved objectives in the conflict with Iran. Eisenkot also accused Netanyahu and his office of falsifying protocols submitted to the state comptroller, expressing doubt about the Prime Minister's ability to make sound decisions in the coming weeks before the October 27 Knesset elections. Eisenkot previously indicated he might review the actions of Shin Bet head David Zini if the "change bloc" forms the next government, and criticized nepotism and lowered professional standards in public service and security forces. Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, also speaking at the "People of the Country" conference, warned that the security situation could be used as a pretext to disrupt the elections. He suggested Netanyahu might set military goals unrelated to actual security needs for political gain, and did not rule out a connection between discussions of striking Iran and the upcoming elections. Naftali Bennett, chairman of the Be-Yahad bloc, called the actions of Netanyahu's advisors who collaborated with Qatar "the gravest betrayal in Israel's history," particularly noting individuals receiving payment from an adversarial state during wartime, including Yonatan Urikh. Bennett also asserted that Netanyahu bears responsibility for the October 7 tragedy and should immediately leave office.