Polls show Israelis have little faith in Netanyahu – who fashioned himself as a security-first leader, only to preside over Israel’s biggest security failure in decades
Three weeks on from the shocking Hamas attacks on southern Israel, Gazans, the wider Middle East and a watching world are still waiting to see the extent of Israel’s retribution., a wildly divisive figure who is distrusted by a large majority of the Israeli public – and was also at odds with his country’s military leaders right until the moment the war broke out.
Uriel Abulof, an associate professor of political science at Tel Aviv University, said that while Israel is likely waiting for the go-ahead from its closest ally, the United States, Mr. Netanyahu’s own indecisiveness – in past clashes with Hamas he was reluctant to send the army into ground combat – is also part of the equation.
Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, the Chief of Staff, made headlines of his own this summer by saying Mr. Netanyahu’s judicial reforms – which weakened court oversight of legislation passed by the government – were dividing both the country and its army. Another poll, conducted Oct. 13 by the Maariv newspaper, suggested that Mr. Netanyahu and Likud would be swept from office if fresh elections were held, with only 29 per cent of Israelis saying he was still fit to be prime minister. “What we should have now is Netanyahu standing in front of the nation saying, ‘The moment after the war is over, I’m leaving office’ – or, even better, ‘I’m leaving office now.’ But no, the only thing that Netanyahu cares about, I think, is his personal power,” Prof.
The move means Mr. Gantz will share responsibility for both the war and its fallout. Afterward, however, he’s expected to return to the ranks of an opposition that is furious with what they see as a disaster brought on by two decades of Mr. Netanyahu’s policies. The Prime Minister’s critics accuse him of not only dividing Israel but helping to strengthen Hamas, while weakening the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas by ignoring the latter’s attempts to discuss a peace settlement.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Netanyahu: ‘We are Preparing for a Ground Incursion’ Into Gaza to Destroy Hamas“We are preparing for a ground incursion. I won’t specify when, how, how many. I also won’t detail the range of considerations, most of which the public is not aware of.'
Read more »
Gazans, Israelis share emotional stories as Israel-Hamas war escalatesCTV Morning Live broadcast two powerful interviews from the conflict – a man who survived the attack at the Tribe of Nova music festival, recounting the terrifying hours holed up in a bomb shelter surrounded by a pile of bodies and a Palestinian – Canadian woman who has lost dozens of family members in the bombing of Gaza.
Read more »
Aghast at Hamas killings, Israelis buy up guns with government's blessingExplore stories from Atlantic Canada.
Read more »
Aghast at Hamas killings, Israelis buy up guns with government's blessingExplore stories from Atlantic Canada.
Read more »
A Wave Of People Are Tearing Down Posters Of Missing IsraelisLydia is a HuffPost senior reporter in her hometown of San Francisco and a graduate of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism. She has worked at HuffPost since 2013, when she was selected for that year's class of editorial fellows.
Read more »