Former Israel PM says Netanyahu and his aides want endless war, calls opposition powerless

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday sharply criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his close allies, accusing them of deliberately pursuing an endless war and warning that Israel’s opposition leadership is incapable of stopping the current course.

In an interview with Israel’s Radio 103 FM, Olmert said Netanyahu “wants war,” adding that senior figures surrounding him are pushing toward prolonged conflict rather than political solutions. He described some of the prime minister’s aides as extremists who, in his words, view even countries such as Egypt and Britain as enemies of Israel.

Olmert, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2009, also accused the current government of promoting an agenda centered on annexation and violence in the occupied West Bank. He said that senior officials are “preoccupied all day with annexation, wars, and Jewish terrorism and criminality,” referring to ongoing settler attacks against Palestinians.

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On 8 October 2023, Israel, with American support, launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, leaving more than 71,000 martyrs and 171,000 wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to massive destruction. A ceasefire agreement went into effect on 10 October, but Israel continues to violate it daily, resulting in the deaths of 483 Palestinians and injuries to 1,294, mostly children and women, alongside widespread material destruction.

Olmert further warned that Israel’s opposition parties lack the strength or unity to confront the current government’s policies, describing opposition leaders as incapable of stopping what he sees as a dangerous and escalating trajectory.

His remarks come amid mounting internal Israeli criticism over the continuation of the war, settlement expansion, and the absence of a political horizon, as international pressure over the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to grow.

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