[54492] The October 7th responsibility storm: Minister Miki Zohar blames the Bennett-Lapid government

Political storm: Minister Miki Zohar drags the Bennett-Lapid government into responsibility for October 7th

This morning, Minister Miki Zohar arrived for an interview on the 103FM radio station, where he presented a new line of defense regarding responsibility for the events of October 7th. Minister Zohar claimed that while the disaster actually occurred during the tenure of the current government, the roots of the massacre and its planning by Yahya Sinwar were planted during the period of the Bennett-Lapid government. According to him, the Hamas leader "identified the weakness of the previous government" and chose to plan the operation at that time.

This statement sparked widespread echoes in the Israeli media. 'Hadashot Me'hashetach' channel noted that Zohar emphasized that Sinwar acted according to signs indicating political weakness he identified in the political echelon at the time. A similar position was also presented by the 'Israel Hayom' channel and the 'News Israel IL' channel, which are traditionally identified with a line supporting the government and Netanyahu, who quoted the minister saying that "the disaster was conceived on the previous watch."

On the other hand, political and other figures harshly criticized the minister's words. The 'Cheder Milhama' channel, which presents a journalistic line critical of the current government, called the minister's words an "impudent statement" and defined the current coalition as the "government of the failure." At the same time, reports indicate that opposition chairman Yair Lapid is expected to respond to the remarks, while Minister Zohar clarified on 'Zirat HaHadashot' that he is not retracting his accusations and claims it is the "truth" that he will present to the public despite the pressure from the Left.

It seems that the debate surrounding responsibility for the massacre continues to be a focus of deep political friction, with each side using the narrative of "opportunity" or "weakness" of the other side to justify its political positions even as time passes since the events of October 7th.