The editorial team of Israel’s Jerusalem Post newspaper published harsh criticisms towards the Netanyahu government today.

Under the title “A shameful mess and a display of anger, we can do better,” the article starts with the following words: “To the officials: Wake up. You are playing with lives and treating it like a sport.” It pointed out the internal investigation conducted by the Israel Security Agency Shin Bet in relation to the responsibility of October 7, 2023, when Hamas initiated the Aqsa Storm Operation.

The article stated: “Israel witnessed a shameful mess and an angry outburst that should have been a discussion behind closed doors throughout last week.” Netanyahu and the far-right coalition were mentioned to blame former IDF Lapid-Bennett government instead of taking political responsibility for October 7.

Israeli news agency KAN revealed that Netanyahu delayed the establishment of an external committee to investigate Shin Bet for four months. The agency requested more time to finish the incomplete investigation, but Netanyahu rejected and demanded an expedited presentation of the investigation.

The continuation of the editorial expressed concerns about the lack of significant improvement at the interface between political and defense levels, warning of a potential new October 7 if no changes occur. Netanyahu immediately launched an attack by blaming Shin Bet’s president Ronen Bar for the handling of the October 7 intervention. However, contrary to the agency’s news, Netanyahu’s group stated that Hamas did not intend to escalate tensions in any way. It was claimed that Bar wanted to grant civil rights to Hamas in return for calm.

The article later mentioned Ynet’s report that Shin Bet sources completely dismissed this claim as fabricated, indicating that Netanyahu continuously pressured Bar to resign and Bar resisted until this point. The editorial continued: “The guns fired back and forth, back and forth. In fact, amidst all this debacle, there is only one clear result: Israelis were whipped.”

Stating that this “blame game” has been going on for a long time without providing anything other than panic and sorrow, the Jerusalem Post newspaper used the phrase “While the political level does everything to deflect accusations, the defense level shifts to defense, admitting its mistakes and begging the coalition to acknowledge its own mistakes.” Ultimately, it was emphasized that Israel needs decisive policy changes and action rather than blame.

The editorial concluded with the following sentences: “We cannot afford another October 7. The responsible ones are playing this foolish badminton game, blame is going back and forth like a dance, and Israelis are just a net trying to end the game and ensure a clear reaction. I address the responsible ones: Wake up. You are playing with lives and treating it like a sport. If you truly cared, you would set aside your egos and implement change. Now.”