(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Netanyahu's Self-Indulgence has Weakened Israel. Again. Why's he Still PM? (And Stop Killing Gazans) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-10 The Hamas terrorist deluge; the long planed slaughter, assault and kidnapping which was focused not on the IDF, not on IDF outposts, not on militant and illegal setter outposts but on huge numbers of defenseless civilians and a music festival for peace was rooted less in broader failure by the IDF and Israeli intelligence and much more in the self serving narcissistic All-About-Bibi grotesque incompetence shown — again — by Benjamin Netanyahu. A singular job of Israel’s PM is Israel’s strength, the effective response to threats and neutralizing the threat of war. Part of that singular job must also be honest, competent attention to Palestinian citizens; justice and economic justice for Palestinian citizens. On every single item, Israel’s ‘longest serving PM, has failed miserably over and over again. To argue that Netanyahu’s regional and foreign policy expertise is a strength is not dissimilar from the myth that America’s GOP is good for the American economy. Or that America’s GOP presents strength even while it demands defunding of international law enforcement to allow it’s own christian terrorists more latitude while actively working to degrade US military morale and defense planning in the face of such real theatres as Ukraine ad now Israel, as well as immediate threats to include China/Taiwan and North Korea. Much of Netanyahu’s current term in office has been spent pursuing the extremist Right’s agenda of judicial ‘reform’ or overhaul. It doesn’t matter if Bibi has even believed in his own defense of these anti-governance and anti-Israel demands He has continued to pursue them as ‘conditions’ to keep his coalition. And we’ve already seen how making such bargains with the Devil has worked out in the US; for Kevin McCarthy, for Congress, for the House GOP, for the American people, and the American military. But Netanyahu has continued on this path despite massive sustained protests. Despite being repeatedly told by the IDF and Israeli intelligence that this attempted extremist Right judicial coup was actively compromising Israel and the IDF’s strength and readiness. But Netanyahu continued to pull their attention inward rather than on the Gazan border fence and what the hell was going on in Gaza by Hamas for so very many months. The Hamas terror deluge was a massive intelligence failure but not necessarily as it has constantly been referenced. It was a massive failure from self indulgent indifference by Netanyahu and his extremist/Jewish Supremacist Right coalition. Netanyahu has gone from one time strength to be the poorest and most at risk PM in Israel’s history. As I and others have written, Netanyahu and the Israeli hard Right even before he collected Jewish extremists and terrorists, has had a long standing symbiotic relationship with Hamas and the Gazan militant Right. In this, Netanyahu has substantially misled Israel into thinking Hamas had turned into just a long standing annoyance but being a stable and manageable relationship. Netanyahu did this as he sold out the Palestinian question to his Faustian government coalition which include such high profile Jewish extremists/Supremacists as Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Bibi assured Israel and the Diaspora he’d keep them reigned in. But lied. And the majority of us knew he was not only lying but that he was heading Israel into Hell. We hadn’t however, even considered the degree to which that terrorist Hell would descend. Netanyahu never had any authority or control and was beholden to making his Supremacist government happy at risk of losing his coalition and pretend immunity from his own legal accountability and prosecution. A ‘unity’ government with Smotrich and Ben Gvir seems unlikely. Neither understands ‘unity’ and are grossly irresponsible as each continues their own provocation in the face of this new Hell. Ben Gvir is abusing his own Ministry budget to purchase up to 10,000 rifles — I read these to be M-16s the other day — with intent to distribute these weapons among the very same violent and unstable settler groups who also share primary responsibility for10/8. No, they are not the reason. Netanyahu is not the reason. Hamas has the only primary blame. But Israel has long been very hard itself with careful investigations and accountability with past military failures while coming out stronger each time. But these rogue players from Netanyahu, the free reign given to Jewish extremists and terrorists to tolerance of escalating and dramatic settler violence in the West Bank will be all part of the culpability. The Israeli government long ago believed that having Kibbutzim and other towns directly on the border with the Occupied Territories as well as in the North were integral to keeping the country safe. And though in place for many decades, that covenant of promised protection has now been, in an instant, destroyed by Netanyahu, himself, whose current government has been so fractured and self indulgent to the exclusion of the State of Israel that these Kibbutzim and border towns to include Sderot were simply overrun by Hamas terrorists looking to kill and brutalize citizens; men, women, children, babies...the elderly...purely for effect and optics. The IDF; security failed to come for hours. Local police became the primary defense and they fought strong and valiantly. A large number, to include police commanders, died. These local police were also significantly outmanned and outgunned by the well organized, well enabled Hamas terrorist attackers. Civilians who lived across this deadly region were absolutely failed by Netanyahu and their government. This failure was evident to the degree that retired IDF generals and other officers put on their uniforms and drove directly into the carnage. They effectively helped to fight back Hamas terrorists and lead very willing but, in some cases, very disoriented, IDF soldiers. ‘We’re Going to Die Here;’ the Story of journalist Amir Tibon and Kibbutz Nahal Oz Amir, his wife and two very young daughters were trapped in a dark safe room of their home for about 10 hours. After he and his wife realized earlier on that nobody was coming, he called his father, a recently retired IDF General living in Tel Aviv who, with his wife, immediately left their home to rescue their son and his family. And they did. The story of General Tibon and his wife’s 90 minute drive from Tel Aviv to Nahal Oz is remarkable in itself. Amir’s father also came across another, bit older, retired General and friend with whom he paired to finally reach Nahal Oz where they, with an IDF special forces unit which finally had gotten to the kibbutz, had to engage a second firefight to reach his son’s home. I realize I’ve given some of it away but it is a read I highly recommend. It also speaks into a bullhorn the abject failure of Netanyahu and his government to keep their eye on Israel; to use the feedback they were getting from the IDF and Mossad. I follow Israel closely and even I knew of at least some of this feedback; of its urgency. But it was all lost on Netanyahu who minimized and disregarded what he was being told — driven by his self indulgence and weakness. Netanyahu is failure and that he has started this war just by pounding Gazan civilians from the air must stop. Hamas must never again be able to mount any military action; not even small cross border incursions. But Netanyahu continues the same hyperbolic threats and useless revenge oriented strategies which only can assure Hamas’ structure. Continuing to add to Gaza’s death and misery is to no purpose. It is horrifically unnecessary optics. It doesn’t degrade Hamas or their capacity. It doesn’t get us closer to their hostages. Hamas’ planning was remarkable. They expected Netanyahu’s response and certainly are underground with their hostages. They just threated Ashkelon. The IDF; IDF special forces with air support must explicitly go in, target and destroy Hamas. A massive ground incursion will also be useless and unnecessarily bloody to IDF and Gazans alike. The Israeli hostages have no chance otherwise. Find Haniyeh. And stop randomly killing Gazans The international media is already losing focus on carnage by Hamas' Nazi death squads for Gazan apartment blocks. Bibi shares responsibility. The strategy must change. It must be more targeted and deliberate. Israel must also put a block on its own provocateurs as are Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and it’s violent settler factions. All are long time coming. The start of a war is not typically when the leader of state should change. But Netanyahu is picking up where he’s left of time and time again. It only assures little will change — but for Death. For the outcome to change, primary casual factors and variables must change first. Netanyahu must resign. He is neither a reliable, trustworthy, or a stable presence. 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