____________________________________________ 7 IICC Perspectives Also, Netanyahu is not Trump. Though he has been known to exhibit populist traits such as a sense of persecution and belief in conspiracies (the "hot tape" affair), fomenting tensions between political camps ("the Left has forgotten what it means to be Jewish"), and engaging in incitement ("Peres will divide Jerusalem"), he later acted with caution and responsibility. He relied on centrist parties, did not challenge existing elites, and maintained reasonable relations with the heads of the security and intelligence establishment, even when disagreements arose. The turning point came with his major victory in the 2015 elections, after which he formed a distinctly right-wing government. His indictment on corruption charges the refusal of centrist parties to support him while on trial led him to establish a far-right government and launch the so-called judicial reform, which also marked the beginning of his crisis with the intelligence community. The first phase of the crisis was clearly reflected in Netanyahu’s disregard for six concrete warnings, four from Military Intelligence and two from the Chief of Staff and the head of the Shin Bet, about the deterioration of Israel’s deterrent capability as a result of the crisis caused by the reform. This behavior, along with increasing avoidance of meetings with security leaders, created an unprecedented shift in the pattern of leader-intelligence relations in Israel—a clear departure from Netanyahu’s previously more cautious approach. The shift likely reflected Netanyahu’s growing confidence in his own abilities, as well as the increasing influence of his close circle, and a strong commitment to the reform agenda and a desire to maintain his government—even in the face of potential harm to Israel’s security. The second phase began after October 7. The shock of the attack, which had no prior warning, deepened Netanyahu’s distrust of the intelligence agencies. The growing public tendency to view him as personally accountable for the disastrous failure, set the stage for his campaign to shift all blame solely onto the intelligence and military organizations. The change in rhetoric was signaled in his first press conference on October 28, by his refusal to take responsibility. The message, released for publication hours later, Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (Abir Sultan/AFP, via Getty Images) The surprise attack on Israel, 2023 ( Wikipedia) th October 7
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