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Israel PM Netanyahu primarily responsible for October attack, probe finds

November 27, 2024 at 11:24 am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem on September 2, 2024 [OHAD ZWIGENBERG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

The Civilian Board of Inquiry, which has been investigating evidence of intelligence failures around the Palestinian resistance’s infiltration of Israel on 7 October 2023, said the Israeli government and security establishment “failed to protect civilians”, concluding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is primarily responsible for undermining decision-making forums and advancing policies that led to the historic failure.

The committee said it has interviewed 120 witnesses and concluded that Netanyahu is mainly responsible for the “concept” that money could buy quiet in Gaza and silenced any “dissenting voices” which criticised this idea.

According to the committee’s findings, Netayahu encouraged Qatar to send millions of dollars to Gaza every month to “maintain quiet”.

“In light of the testimonies and findings, it can be conclusively determined that the government in general, and the Prime Minister in particular, did not prepare or plan adequately not only for the disaster of Oct. 7 but also for other disaster scenarios,” the committee said

“Furthermore, he is significantly responsible for the division within the nation (…) which had an impact on the resilience of Israeli society.”

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