Photo courtesy of Anadolu
Political pressure is mounting on Israel’s leadership ahead of the country’s October parliamentary election, with an opposition lawmaker calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s removal over his handling of the security failures surrounding the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Gilad Kariv, a lawmaker from the opposition Democrats party, said Saturday that changing the country’s leadership had become an “existential need for Israeli society.”
Kariv accused Netanyahu of avoiding accountability as Israel’s military examines the failures that preceded and accompanied the Hamas assault. He argued that someone with such a record should not continue making decisions affecting the country’s security and future.
The criticism is part of a wider dispute over who should investigate the Oct. 7 failures. Opposition parties and sections of the Israeli public have sought a state commission of inquiry, while the government has resisted that mechanism and favored a politically appointed panel.
The issue could become increasingly significant as Israelis prepare to elect members of the Knesset, the country’s parliament, on Oct. 27. Netanyahu’s Likud party has been losing support in opinion polls, according to the supplied report.
Beyond the political challenge, Netanyahu remains on trial on corruption charges in Israel. He has denied wrongdoing in the cases against him.
The International Criminal Court has also issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity connected to the Gaza conflict. The allegations have not resulted in a conviction.
The leadership dispute comes as the Gaza conflict continues to carry a heavy humanitarian toll. The supplied report puts the Palestinian death toll at more than 73,000 since October 2023 and says Israeli attacks have continued despite a US-backed ceasefire.