Law, Power, and Justice

Friday 1 December 2023

Morning News Notes: Israel

My partner and I kept talking over the possibility that the Netanyahu government knew about Hamas’ plans to attack on October 7.  Given the amount of surveillance the Israelis do of Gaza and its occupants, it is difficult to believe that the Netanyahu government was caught completely off guard.  In addition, the attack fits so well into the future plans of Netanyahu and his allies for the occupied territories.  Those future plans are evidently to eliminate Palestinian occupancy entirely.

Late Thursday night, the New York Times (NYT) posted an article written by their Israeli correspondent reporting that not only the Israeli military was aware of the actual plan for the attack a year in advance.

While the Israeli newspaper Haaretz had published articles asserting this based on sources.  The NYT had evidently gotten hold of a 41-page document that was in the hands of the Israeli military a year, a year, before the attack.

Friday morning, an entire block on Morning Joe (not my favorite show or group of people, but nevertheless) was devoted to expressions of outrage at Netanyahu and his government’s incompetence.  Haartez had a scathing editorial calling for Netanyahu to be held accountable.

Even before this article it was difficult for me to understand why Netanyahu hadn’t been dragged out of office by his heels.  I attributed it primarily to the state of shock the Israeli public seems to be in and the difficulty of replacing Netanyahu who has been in office for almost two decades.

The following are notes from the MSNBC block on Friday morning.

Morning Joe: MSNBC

According to the NYT, Israeli authorities obtained a 40-page document they code named “Jerico Wall” which outlined point by point the kind of devastating invasion which killed some 1,200 people on October 7.

Israeli military and intelligence officers are said to have dismissed the plan, which they considered to be  “aspirational” and “too difficult” for Hamas.

(Note: As John Brennan said on Friday in an interview, the problem was evidently that the assessment of the document remained stable.  The information should have been reassessed at stages to see if Hamas’ capabilities had changed.)

Early Friday morning, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) responded to the NYT article saying that questions “of this kind” would “be looked into in a later stage.”

As Scarborough pointed out, (and it pains me to quote Joe Scarborough with anything but derision) such a response might work if Israel weren’t relying on another country (US) for military support to conduct the war.  But this report and others make it difficult for the US to continue to provide virtually unchecked support for a government led by Netanyahu and his minions. 

Eugene Daniels, Politico White House Correspondent, noted that both Biden and Kamala Harris had talked about Israel as a “democracy that was backsliding” (quote from Daniels) before October 7.  He also pointed out that Netanyahu is facing a lot of criticism within his own country, especially from the hostage families.  People in Israel are, he said, going to continue to ask questions. 

Mika: They can delay the answers, but the answers would be of help now. 

Joe: The West Bank is becoming more chaotic by the day.  You may be looking at a “two front war, possibly a three front war.”  Some Israelis feel that current generations let down the prior generations that survived WWII.  “Now, we find out it’s worse than we ever imagined.”

Frank Foer, Atlantic Staff Writer.  One of the promises of Zionism was that it would protect Jews from threats like the Nazi threat of WWII.  Foer noted the “utter incompetence displayed” by Netahyahu’s government  “to know it was coming for so long.”  It was not only a failure to prepare for the attack, but shifting troops away from Gaza to the West Bank added to the problems.  Moving more troops was not only leaving Gaza unguarded, it was “provoking tension” in the West Bank.  To “protect…Netanyahu’s coalition, Israel’s security was sacrificed.”

Joe: Netanyahu didn’t want to bother with Gaza because it didn’t “involve him politically” as did the West Bank.” “When he (Netanyahu) gave license to extremists to set up illegal settlements (in the West Bank), he knew he was going to cause unrest” and “undermine the Palestinian Authority.”  Transfering the troops “helped him politically with the religious extremists.”  “He had a political reason…for ignoring Hamas…”

Foer: The entire “arch of Netanyahu’s career is self-preservation at the expense of the national interests.”  This was true of the judicial coup leading up to the attack.  At the beginning of this war, Netanyahu had the opportunity to form a genuine coalition government “where he ditched the religious zealots and the settler movements that are part of his government and form a government of the center that was much more competent.”  They are “incompetents.”  They “don’t have the competence…to rebuild Gaza” to engage in complex diplomacy.  This is a   “dangerous extremist coalition.”

Joe:  We were hearing from people inside Israel that Netanyahu had pushed out secular Jews who were professionals, who had built up the reputation of the IDF, for example, in exchange for people who were called “clowns by Israeli insiders.”  “We see the consequence…of bringing in religious extremists and kicking out the professionals…”

Yasmeen Abutaled, Washington Post.  US officials have told the WP that they view as “especially problematic.”  Ben-Gvir, and people who come from the settler movement.  There is “no hope for peace as long as you have people who are encouraging and arming settlers…they don’t feel Netanyahu can make the right decisions for his country” while he is always “looking over his shoulder” at the right-wing.

Joe: Will there be more strings attached to funding because of the incompetence?

Abutaled: Biden is starting to distance himself from Israel.  This week, they have said they do not support an operation in the South unless there is a plan.  Kirby said we want to see a plan.  Biden is being pressured to ignore the right wing of his cabinet.

Joe: “It’s been one mistake after another after another’ for the Netanyahu government.  They have been “distracted by indictments.”  It took his government seven hours to even begin to go down and save the people on the border with Gaza on 10/7

Foer:  We can’t even be sure now that Netanyahu is not acting cynically to extend the conflict to preserve himself.  Netanyahu’s “unpopularity” is also an issue.  His government is going to fall at some point, it’s a matter of when.  Gantz, from the opposition joined the war cabinet.  He “has to make a decision about how much more cover he can provide for Netanyahu.” 

WP reporter: The Biden administration never thought this war in Northern Gaza was going to be successful.  You can’t eliminate them.  Biden thought the plan was “always unrealistic” “They never thought the ground invasion was a good idea.” 

Joe: “One of the most incompetent, if not the most incompetent leader in Israel’s history.”

Foer: When I called around to Israelis who were smart strategic thinkers and asked for proposals for the future, the Israelis said that any plan for the future has one main obstacle.  It was the Netanyahu government.  And, it is not just incompetence, it is “Bibi’s inability to talk about a two-state solution,” or making “concessions” to the Gulf states that would be necessary. 

MSNBC: 12 Noon

Attack in Jerusalem yesterday.  Cease fire fell apart, both sides blaming the other.  Hamas says, Israel wanted young women, but Hamas refused saying they were soldiers.  They offered to give older men.  Israel says, Hamas is failing to account for all hostages.

MSNBC Reports: Interview with Netanyahu spokesman, Mark Regev.

Was the Prime Minister aware of this document mentioned by the New York Times (NYT)?

“No….Warning didn’t reach decision-makers.” Mark Regev, Sr. Adviser to Netanyahu. 

(Note: I think Netanyahu and his people have lied about this before.)