Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has issued an apology for a previous statement in which he placed blame on the country’s security services for not anticipating Hamas’s attack on October 7, acknowledging that it was “wrong” to make such comments during a time when unity is crucial.
Netanyahu in a social media post on Saturday, criticized his own intelligence services, stating that they had failed to alert him to an imminent Hamas assault and had instead assured him that the group was “deterred.”
In the now-deleted post on X, formerly Twitter, Netanyahu wrote,“At no time and no stage was a warning given to Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding war intentions of Hamas”
“On the contrary, all security officials, including the head of army intelligence and the head of the Shin Bet, estimated that Hamas was deterred and interested in an arrangement.”
The remarks quickly drew strong rebukes from fellow Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu’s allies, who said it was the time for unity rather than finger-pointing.
“When we are at war, leadership must show responsibility, decide to do the right things and strengthen the forces,” said Benny Gantz, a former defence minister who joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet after the attack.
“Any other action or statement harms the people’s ability to stand and their strength. The prime minister must retract his statement
Yair Lapid, an opposition leader and former prime minister, accused Netanyahu of crossing “a red line” and undermining the army.
Netanyahu quickly deleted the contentious post and apologised for undercutting his security services in a follow-up statement, guaranteeing that they have his “full backing”.
“Things I said … should not have been said and I apologize for that,” Netanyahu wrote on X. “I give full backing to all the heads of the security branches … Together we will win.”
|Al Jazeera
