Retired U.S. soldier Joseph said Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu must answer for the intelligence failure linked to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Joseph argued that the attacks could not have taken place without the Netanyahu government’s knowledge.
Joseph, who said he had previously visited Israel, said security measures in the country were extremely strict. He said Hamas had conducted drills before Oct. 7 in open areas visible to everyone, rather than in tunnels, and argued that it was impossible for Israelis not to know an attack was coming.
Debate over U.S. support
Joseph argued that sending money and weapons to Israel was drawing growing opposition from both sides of the political spectrum in the United States. He also claimed that many people believed the current war in Iran had begun on Netanyahu’s orders after a presentation to U.S. President Trump in the White House Situation Room.
Joseph also argued that Netanyahu was trying to rally voters around himself through the Gaza offensive and the Iran War ahead of the elections scheduled for Oct. 27.
Claims of warnings before Oct. 7
Commenting on reports that Netanyahu had been warned before the attack but had failed to take action, Joseph said Egypt was alleged to have sent Netanyahu a warning more than a week before the attack. Joseph said the United Arab Emirates was also alleged to have issued a similar warning in September 2023.
Joseph said these claims made it even more surprising that Netanyahu had not been held accountable for the intelligence failure on Oct. 7, adding that an accountability mechanism should be put in place, particularly by the United States.
Netanyahu and Ronen Bar face off
In a statement, Netanyahu again rejected claims that Egypt had warned him before Oct. 7 about a possible attack from Gaza. He announced that he had instructed that defamation lawsuits be filed against those raising the issue.
Netanyahu argued that former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar was trying to shift responsibility for the failures onto him, claiming that Bar had not called to brief him or warned emergency teams and Israeli army units in the area. Netanyahu also claimed that his political rivals ahead of the elections and foreign countries seeking the establishment of a Palestinian state were behind the reports.
Ronen Bar planned to file a defamation lawsuit against Netanyahu following the statement. A statement issued on Bar’s behalf called for evidence and documents concerning the information presented to Netanyahu before Oct. 7 to be made public.
The same statement accused Netanyahu of conducting an unlimited smear campaign against Bar. It argued that Netanyahu had denied responsibility for three years and had refused to allow a state commission of inquiry to be established. It also claimed that Netanyahu was trying to divert attention by rejecting the warnings he received before Oct. 7.
Claims of warnings increase political pressure
Israeli and international media carried claims that United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had called Netanyahu before Oct. 7 to warn him of a possible attack from Gaza. Egypt was also alleged to have sent Netanyahu a warning before the attack.
Against the backdrop of these claims, assessments emerged that political pressure on Netanyahu had increased ahead of the Oct. 27 elections, as polls indicated that he was losing support.
