\nA memorial ceremony at the Nova festival marking two years since the October 7 massacre when Hamas terrorists infiltrated southern Israel, murdering more than 1200 people. October 07, 2025. (credit: Tsafrir Abayov\/Flash90)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cWhen they [Hamas] saw a government supported by an Islamist party, fragmented and unclear in its positions, they identified weakness,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who thinks this won\u2019t happen if a similar government dependent on Arab parties is formed…\u201d Should that happen, he warned, \u201cThe next October 7 will be on its way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zohar: Oct 7. ‘happened on our watch’<\/h3>\n
Zohar acknowledged in the interview that the massacre had \u201chappened on our watch.\u201d But, he said, \u201cit was woven together during the previous watch of Bennett and Lapid as prime ministers.<\/p>\n
Zohar claimed that intelligence has shown that former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar planned the attacks after \u201cseeing the government\u2019s weakness\u201d when Bennett and Lapid were in power.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we came to power, the arguments among the people over the judicial reform began, and division was created. It may have been a significant trigger in [Sinwar\u2019s] decision-making,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe entire State of Israel, all its citizens from Right and Left, received a resounding slap in the face,\u201d Zohar acknowledged.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he added, \u201cThis nation rose from the worst situation imaginable and managed to defeat its enemies despite the sorrow over the hardest event Israel has experienced since its founding. The people rose up, coped, and defeated their enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Bennett and Lapid strongly condemned Zohar\u2019s statements, saying they were being used to evade accountability and reshape the narrative in the wake of the attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe outgoing government has launched yet another campaign to evade responsibility for the blood of those murdered on October 7,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cIt won\u2019t help. It\u2019s yours, Netanyahu. And it\u2019s not AI.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued, \u201cYou transferred suitcases of dollars to Hamas. You allowed the terror monster to grow on the border. You tolerated the rocket fire and incendiary balloons. You surrendered to Hamas and Hezbollah.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lapid addressed Zohar directly, saying that he and the government had \u201cignored all our warnings, all the alerts, strengthened Hamas as a matter of policy, and brought upon us the greatest disaster to befall the Jewish people since the Holocaust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the very least, do one thing: Be ashamed,\u201d Lapid added.<\/p>\n
Zohar\u2019s statements regarding the attacks come amid ongoing condemnation from coalition MKs and ministers about the newly formed Bennett-Lapid alliance. The two are running together in the upcoming elections in a list called Together.<\/p>\n
While Bennett, Lapid, and other opposition leaders have pledged not to include Arab parties in a future coalition after the elections, it remains unclear whether the opposition bloc would be able to secure a majority without Arab party support.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu is among the few major officials who have not resigned following the October 7 massacre. The political echelon has repeatedly blocked a state inquiry into the attacks, despite polls showing huge public support for this type of investigation.<\/p>\n
There has been a divide over what kind of investigation should be conducted and who should lead it. Amid the ongoing rift between the government and the judiciary, Netanyahu has repeatedly spoken out against judicial appointments being in charge of the investigation.<\/p>\n
Bennett and other opposition party leaders have vowed to conduct a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 after the elections.<\/p>\n
In October, the government voted in favor of Netanyahu\u2019s proposal to change the official name of the Israel-Hamas War from Operation Swords of Iron to War of Revival.<\/p>\n
This decision also sparked controversy, with critics saying that framing the war as a \u201crevival\u201d was a way for the government to evade responsibility for the failures on October 7.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Zohar’s remarks came even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was already in power when the 2023 attacks occurred. Culture and Sport