The slaying of three hostages in Gaza by Israeli troops unleashes a torrent of criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.
Multiple critics note that Netanyahu did not announce the tragedy in person, as then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin did in 1994 following the attempted rescue operation of Nachshon Wachsman, which ended with the death of that abducted soldier and one of the commandos trying to save him.
Einav Schiff, a journalist for Yedioth Ahronoth, writes on Ynet:
- “The IDF spokesperson was abandoned last night. He was not the one who was supposed to look the public in the eye and inform them about the tragedy, but the prime minister or at least the defense minister and chief-of-staff. It’s not surprising but disappointing.”
Many government critics had toned down their opposition in the wake of the war unleashed by the October 7 Hamas attack, but renewed criticism today.
Uri Heitner, a historian and prominent figure within the Kibbutz Movement, connects Friday’s incident — which according to initial army probes happened even though the escaped hostages were unarmed and waving a white flag — to the liberal firearm policies and open fire calls of far-right Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
- “People like the gang leader, who was busy turning over the stalls of Arab market vendors in Hebron when others his age risked their lives to defend the homeland, are preaching trigger happiness,” writes Heitner on Facebook.
Previously a vocal critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, Heitner had largely stopped criticizing them publicly since the war broke out on October 7.
Dan Halutz, a former IDF chief of Staff who has not abandoned his criticism, escalates it following Friday’s tragedy.
“Bibi, the only image of victory possible after the failure of 2023 is of you leaving us with a white flag,” writes Halutz.
Source: TOI