6/17/2024–|Last updated: 6/17/202405:24 PM (Mecca time)
Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accused the army and the Shin Bet of treason in the face of the attacks of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip on October 7.
Netanyahu Jr. criticized the court and wrote on the “X” platform on Monday, saying, “What are they trying to hide? If there is no treason, why are they afraid of external and independent parties investigating?”
He added, “Why do army and intelligence leaders continue to claim that Hamas has been deterred? Where was the Air Force on October 7?”
He also accused the court itself, saying, “The investigation committee, despite its fancy name, is headed by a Supreme Court judge, and is therefore being used as a cover-up committee for the left,” referring to opponents of his father’s government.
This accusation comes after the Israeli Supreme Court decided to halt an investigation conducted by State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman into the “failures of last October 7” until the court holds a hearing next July.
Engelman’s investigation has been controversial since it was announced last December, and “good governance monitoring” groups filed a petition with the court against the state comptroller’s initiative, arguing that it is not within his jurisdiction and would harm the operational capabilities of the Israeli army.
In recent months, senior leaders in the security and intelligence services and the Israeli occupation army announced that they bear responsibility for the failure of October 7, while Netanyahu refuses to bear any responsibility for the Hamas attacks.
The opposition accuses Netanyahu of following policies that serve his own interests, especially continuing in office, and failing to achieve the goals of the war on Gaza, especially eliminating Hamas and recovering detainees from the Strip.
Netanyahu rejects calls from the opposition and popular protests to hold early elections, claiming that they would “paralyze the state” and freeze prisoner exchange negotiations for a period of up to 8 months.
Since last October 7, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza that has left more than 122,000 Palestinians dead or wounded – most of them children and women – and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of dozens, most of them children.
Israel continues this war, ignoring the UN Security Council resolutions to stop it immediately, and the orders of the International Court of Justice to end the invasion of Rafah, take measures to prevent acts of genocide, and improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Strip.
Tel Aviv is also challenging the request of International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant for their responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
