Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government after Netanyahu announced in Knesset in front of bereaved families on Monday that he would not agree to form a state probe into the October 7 security failure.
"This evening, we witnessed the total disconnect of Netanyahu's disastrous government. A government that does not honor its fallen is unworthy of its people."
"Lower your gaze, and take responsibility. The 'Hamas is an asset' government; the government of weakness and evasion of responsibility—get out of the sight of our lionhearted people, and for heaven’s sake—just go home already!" he concluded.
His statements come after Netanyahu said that he would only form a committee of inquiry that “enjoyed the trust of the majority of the people,” arguing that a State Commission of Inquiry whose members are appointed by the Supreme Court Chief Justice would not be politically objective.
The prime minister’s comments came while dozens of family members of civilians and soldiers killed on October 7 and the ensuing war waved pictures of their loved ones and demanded a State Commission of Inquiry.
Netanyahu's "proof" that law enforcement is against him
Netanyahu argued that the entire law enforcement apparatus was skewed against him. He brought as proof the fact that law enforcement had not investigated alleged ties between former prime minister Ehud Barak and criminal financier Jeffrey Epstein; an alleged leak of a document from the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee by Democrats MK Gilad Kariv; and what he claimed were calls by Democrats chairman Yair Golan on IDF soldiers to refuse to serve due to the 2023 judicial reforms.
The speech came as part of a debate known as the “40 signatories’ debate,” which is the Israeli version of the British “Prime Minister’s Question”. The official topic of the debate was the government’s refusal to form a State Commission of Inquiry.
Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.