Both the government and military intelligence failed more than anyone on Oct. 7, and now they are telling Israelis to trust them and that things have changed.
The leadership that knew well what Hezbollah's capabilities were and did nothing and the IDF commanders who knew all about the danger and ease of a possible invasion of the Galilee and allowed us to live our lives while only a simple fence acted as a barrier to defend us, now ask for our trust. "We've changed," the say.
Prime Minister Netanyahu was trembling at the though he would have to act against a skimpy little tent Hezbollah set up inside Israeli territory or respond to a Hezbollah road side bomb that exploded at the Megiddo junction.
This same government - as was revealed to us in October 2023, understood nothing about the reality around us. Under Netanyahu's never-ending leadership, it allowed murderous terrorists to flourish. It enabled a determined, faith driven enemy to train and arm, without any impediment and decide when to strike and it did, successfully.
Netanyahu always claims he "was not made aware", but every child in the border town of Metula or in the community of Manara, was aware of what Hezbollah could do and once IDF troops entered the villages on the other side of the fence, that capability became abundantly clear and much more terrifying. The government and the military intelligence let us sleep at night right next to the danger.
Now, after they gambled with our lives, they tell us not to worry about the deal that they are about to sign. "This time will be different," they say.
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IDF troops find Hezbollah weapons in South Lebanon offensive
(Phtoo: Maya Alleruzzo / AP)
Hezbollah tunnel reaches Israeli border
(IDF)
We do not know the details of the agreement being finalized. Our leader habitually keeps us in the dark. But even before we can pass judgment on it, we must stop for a moment and see who the architects of the cease-fire deal, are and who would be there to enforce it.
Why should we believe them? How can we trust that they are not withholding information from us? We know who our enemy is and can be certain that it will try to rebuild its military might. It may be more careful this time and try to avoid detection?
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Will the government and military again misread the situation, as they have done for so many years? And after costing us over 2,000 lives, will they understand, but chose to ignore the danger? Afterall the same people responsible for the failures are still in power and in the same positions.
Amichai Atali Photo: Matan TzuriIt is absurd to expect us to buy the same promises after the unbearable price Israelis had to pay for their criminal failings. Like battered women we are asked to believe things would change and asked to trust the abuser after the beatings and even have pity on him.
Our trust can come only after the leadership asked for our vote in new elections and after the top command of the IDF is replaced. This must be hard-earned trust. Netanyahu, [Itamar] Ben-Gvir, [Bezalel] Smotrich and IDF Chief of Staff Halevi want to force us to believe them and there is no reason for them to succeed.