Netanyahu’s Defence Counsel Warns of ‘Political War’ as Parliamentary Inquiry Committee Advances

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal team has signalled alarm over what they characterise as a politically motivated investigation, as a parliamentary inquiry committee moves forward with its examination of events surrounding 7 October. The comments come as Netanyahu continues a series of media appearances in the United States, where he has been engaged in efforts to prevent F-35 fighter jets being supplied to Turkey. In a recent podcast interview, Netanyahu reflected on his decisions in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks, stating he had posed a critical question about whether Israel’s border with Gaza had been adequately secured, and claimed he had requested that hundreds of thousands of troops be mobilised. His account has drawn scrutiny from other government figures, however. In a separate interview with the news outlet ynet last year, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich suggested that not all available military forces had initially been deployed southward to confront the threat, contradicting elements of Netanyahu’s narrative. The apparent discrepancies between ministerial accounts have fuelled debate over the government’s preparedness and response protocols on the day of the attacks. The advancement of the parliamentary inquiry has prompted Netanyahu’s legal representatives to adopt a more combative stance, with one member of his defence team warning that the investigation represents something akin to a political battle rather than a straightforward factual inquiry. The timing of the investigation, coinciding with Netanyahu’s international diplomatic efforts, has added to tensions within the government over how the security failures of 7 October should be examined and ultimately apportioned.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.