It is understood that the Knesset opposed the creation of a commission of inquiry into the 7th of October on January 22. Bernard Henri Levy had already stated that such a commission was not necessary because «everything was clear».
This desire to cover up pursues a precise goal: to evade the search for responsibility.
How did what was unimaginable become a reality?
On October 7, 2023, nearly 1,200 Israelis (including 2/3 of civilians) were killed in terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas activists, and 252 hostages (some of them foreigners) were captured and taken to the Gaza Strip. This is the very definition of terrorism: striking blindly at untargeted people who are unfortunate enough to find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Some of them were killed by the Israeli army itself, in accordance with the so-called «Hannibal» procedure, which consists of killing prisoners or hostages with their captors. Long a hypothesis, the use of this doctrine was recently confirmed by the former Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant.
It is the myth of Israel’s invincibility that is collapsing, not as a result of a large-scale armed conflict against a coalition, but under the blows of hastily armed activists who manage to sow terror.
The numerous warnings ignored
The Israeli government was long aware that Hamas was planning an operation. Through its own intelligence services and through numerous foreign intelligence services, including the Egyptian one (a few days earlier).
According to the daily Haaretz, The Israeli domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, and the military commanders of Tsahal discussed a possible threat against the Nova music festival near the Re’im kibbutz a few hours before the attack, but the organizers were never informed about it.
According to New York Times, One year before October 7, intelligence services had access to a 40-page document that described, point by point, Hamas’s attack plan. The dossier, called «The Jerusalem Wall,» passed into the hands of several officials, who chose to ignore the warning, believing that Hamas was incapable of launching such an ambitious offensive.
The «eyes of Israel,» the female guards tasked with monitoring what is happening in the Gaza Strip, had issued numerous warnings in the days and weeks leading up to October 7, to no avail. Roni Eshel, 19, was on duty on October 7 and issued this warning message at 6:29 AM: «Three men have just crossed the security zone (…) They are armed!» She will be murdered on October 7th. Located at the very bottom of the military hierarchy, their warnings were ignored or scorned.
The priority given to the far-right settlers in the West Bank over the pacifists of the Kibbutz
Where were the Israeli forces on October 7? Primarily in the West Bank to secure illegal settlements and allow the violence of the far-right settlers to take place with impunity. And here is a crucial point. In the revisionist Zionist ideology (a variant of Zionism that was long a minority before taking hold with Netanyahus father and son), which is both fascist and supremacist, there is a hierarchy of human lives. Not only between Jews and Muslims who are reduced to subhuman status. Not even between Jews and Christians, about whom «spitting is a Jewish custom» according to Itamar Ben Gvir. But also between Jews. The massacre victims on October 7 were mainly pacifists, not extremists. Netanyahus priority clearly lies with protecting the latter rather than the former. For revisionist Zionists, those who believe a coexistence with the Arabs is possible are traitors. In the 1920s and 1930s, they did not hesitate to assassinate Jewish leaders considered to be moderate.
Furthermore, it is obvious that the West Bank is of a much more strategic importance than the Gaza Strip.
Sinwar's greed as a trigger
Why is Yahyah Sinwar launching this operation at this precise moment? For a long time, financially nurtured by Netanyahu through Qatar (Ehud Barak even mentions direct SMS exchanges between Netanyahu and Sinwar), this source of funding seems to have come to an abrupt end. In fact, the more or less tacit deal between Netanyahu and Sinwar was as follows: on Netanyahu’s side, «you put Gaza under control; I marginalize the Palestinian Authority and you consider me the main representative of the Palestinians.» Thus, Hamas became the naturally irreconcilable showcase of the Palestinian cause. Any prospect of a Palestinian state under Hamas’ control became unthinkable.
On the Hamas side, Sinwar had every reason to justify «an indispensable armed and violent resistance since Netanyahu does not want a Palestinian state and the Palestinian Authority is incapable of defending the Palestinians.».
But it seems that the funding to the greedy Sinwar is becoming less significant, more sporadic. The operational chief of Hamas in the Gaza Strip decides, in order to show his displeasure and his ability to cause trouble, to launch a coup that will ultimately be a large-scale massacre. Probably without informing the main Hamas leaders who live in Qatar.
Poor assessment of Hamas' capabilities and surprise at the Nova festival
Certainly it was a day of celebration, but the Kippour War is there to demonstrate that Israel’s security comes first.
The reality is that Israel has always considered Hezbollah a much more real threat than Hamas, and therefore has somewhat relaxed its guard towards the latter. Like the Americans with the Afghan Mujahedeen, they did not see that what had originally been, somewhat of a creation of their own to counter a priority adversary, had grown and was completely out of their control…before turning against them..
On the other hand, it is likely (according to the statements of Gilles Kepel and Alain Juillet) that Hamas was unaware of the holding of the Nova music festival. Thus, what was supposed to be a significant but limited operation becomes, by surprise and good fortune for Hamas, a large-scale massacre. The very substantial number of hostages is also, most likely, not anticipated at the time of the operation’s launch.
Netanyahu: Looking for an excuse to wipe out Gaza or a criminal incompetence?
While Netanyahou’s paroxystic incompetence is beyond doubt, it is difficult to imagine that he intentionally allowed this carnage to be carried out. Two hypotheses are plausible:
- The Israeli Prime Minister is well aware of Hamas’s war of aggression but grossly underestimates its scale. He intends to profit from it. For him and his supremacist government, a bloody skirmish with a few casualties would be enough to trigger massive, disproportionate retaliation that would wipe Gaza off the map.
- Hamas is manipulating it from A to Z on this issue.
In any case, Netanyahu fell short and seriously failed in his mission.
Surviving politically at any cost
Whatever the hypothesis, Netanyahu is in a fix on October 7. A statesman, or a man with a minimum of honor, would have resigned. After unsuccessfully trying to discredit the intelligence services and the Israeli army, he is implementing another strategy.
Indeed, To stay afloat, at all costs, the choice is first made of disinformation and a flood of massive fake news, as if horror alone is not enough.
Then, very quickly, in a response that resulted in large-scale massacres, which it will be up to the International Court of Justice to determine whether they constitute acts of genocide, the strip of Gaza was razed. More than 46,000 victims (excluding the missing), 70% of them women and children.
But not only Gaza. Deliberately extending the conflict to Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. Indeed, it is the Israeli government that initiates assassinations and destruction (including diplomatic premises) in these three countries, brazenly violating their sovereignty (knowing full well that the escalation becomes inevitable). The success against Hezbollah aimed at forgetting the disastrous failure against Hamas. Thousands of Lebanese civilians will pay the price once again. While embarking on the project that is now a priority, the total annexation of the West Bank. The strategy is working: there is no longer any need for an investigation commission, let alone for resignation.
The culmination of a deadly strategy aimed at preventing the creation of a Palestinian state at all costs.
Ultimately, Hamas is far from being eradicated and will not be so militarily. Its marginalization can only be political.
Although Chief of Staff of Tsahal, Hervi Halevi, announced his resignation a few days ago, this is not the intention of Netanyahu. It is not those with whom they govern who assassinated one of Tsahal’s most prestigious Chief of Staffs, Itzhak Rabin, on November 4, 1995, having come to the conviction that peace with the Palestinians was inevitable?
Then they poisoned the other partner for peace, Yasser Arafat. Arriving too late in France to be saved, he died on November 11, 2004 in Clamart. Ariel Sharon was then Prime Minister.
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