Criticism of the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now appears to be prophetic | Abroad

These are images of the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel that were broadcast around the world: those of young visitors to the Supernova festival in panic. Early in the morning after a night of partying, they had no idea what was going on when they saw Hamas paratroopers floating in the sky. Of that abnormality, some unsuspectingly started making videos that were posted just minutes before the massacre began.

364 festival visitors died at Supernova, another 40 visitors were kidnapped. The survivors are traumatized after witnessing the murders, mutilations and rapes. Hence, dozens of music festival survivors now suing the Israeli security apparatus for negligence. They argue that it is inexcusable that Israeli citizens felt unprotected on this scale that day. For example, the army did not act in a timely manner with the information that was available. A phone call to the festival organization that morning could have spared many victimsthe relatives argue.

There has been a lot of criticism of the security apparatus in Israel in recent months. There was no defense plan against a surprise attack by Hamas. But the blame for the attack and the subsequent bloody war against Hamas is certainly not solely blamed on the army and security services. The documentary came in 2012 The Gatekeepers in which six former heads of the Shin Bet – Israel’s domestic security service – openly share their experiences on the security issues they dealt with in recent decades.

Their critical attitude towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies was not appreciated by everyone at the time. Their vision in which they argue for a lack of long-term strategy appears to be prophetic today. According to the men, there was a growing danger to the state by stubborn politicians who mainly make tactical decisions in the short term to maintain their own power. They highlighted the lack of courage of leaders to develop long-term strategies that lead to lasting peace.

Netanyahu sold himself for years as ‘mister security‘, but it turned out to be the opposite. Only 15 percent of Israelis want to see Netanyahu again after the war. But he does not want to voluntarily resign for the national interest. As with many other right-wing populist leaders who say they serve ‘the people’, when push comes to shove, their own power interests apply.