By Robert Inlakesh

What could be more problematic for the Israeli government, however, is the potential negative outcomes of Benjamin Netanyahu having a free hand in his decision-making power and interpretation of intelligence information.

The Israeli Ministerial Committee on Legislation is slated to form a new intelligence division that would report directly to Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to provide alternative information aiding any security-related decisions. This comes as the Israeli Premier takes near dictator levels of power.

A bill proposed by Likud Party Member of Knesset (MK), Amit Halevi, would create what is being dubbed the Ifcha Mistabra (devil’s advocate) intelligence unit. This intelligence unit would report directly to PM Benjamin Netanyahu and have the powers granted to it which allows for direct requests to be made to Israeli intelligence services that they provide information.

If the legislation is indeed passed, following the discussion with the Ministerial Committee, leaders in the Israel defense establishment and security cabinet would then have to consult with this “devil’s advocate” body; and asked to provide alternative intelligence assessments. No decisions would be made without such consultations.

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Why this is important is it signals the Israeli Prime Minister is closing in on seizing an enormous amount of decision-making power. If we simply look at what has been happening throughout the war, Benjamin Netanyahu has been faced with significant pushback against various strategies and pushed to investigate the intelligence failure that brought about the lack of readiness to deal with the Hamas-led October 7 attack last year. 

At every turn, Netanyahu is choosing to avoid accountability for the most significant security breach in Israeli history, while he also lives with the fear in the back of his mind that an end to the war could mean he sees the inside of a jail cell – as a result of his ongoing corruption trial.

Immediately after the beginning of the war in Gaza, Israel formed a unity government’s War Cabinet, which included opposition figures Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot. Gantz and Eisenkot were not always political opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu, in fact, both of them had been in senior military positions under the rule of the Israeli Prime Minister. Gadi Eisenkot was the former Israeli Chief of Staff for the military, while Benny Gantz had been the Defence Minister, under Netanyahu; in addition to holding other senior military positions in the past.

In June, Eisenkot and Gantz left the War Cabinet, leading to its dissolution by the Israeli Premier. These were not the only officials to have resigned up to that point, or since, yet they were certainly the most important. Leading up to the War Cabinet being dissolved, Netanyahu’s fascist coalition partners – like security minister Itamar Ben Givr and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich – were urging the Israeli PM to get rid of these opposition figures and pursue a more aggressive policy vis-a-vis the Palestinians and regional actors.

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Even more recently, Benjamin Netanyahu decided to sack his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who was reported to have been at constant loggerheads with the Israeli Premier on countless issues. Israel Katz was the man chosen to replace Gallant, a politician loyal to Netanyahu and who has little actual military experience that would make him a prime candidate for the job.

Therefore, it has been widely reported across the Israeli domestic media that Benjamin Netanyahu had fired Gallant and replaced him with himself. What is for sure is that the Israeli Premier just strengthened his own hand when it comes to decision-making on key issues, ensuring that a hawk who favors every conceivable war is in a position of power.

Furthermore, the creation of this new intelligence unit would add another layer of decision-making power to Netanyahu’s position, he would be briefed by a body that answers to him and would educate his own decision-making processes. It was recently revealed that Eliezer Feldstein, a top Netanyahu advisor, had been arrested in connection with a series of leaked documents from within his office.

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While many interpreted the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu’s aide as evidence that there had been a serious security breach, the reality was that the majority of the leaked documents were actually fabricated, indicating a deliberate series of leaks had been made. In this case, the formation of such an intelligence body would not likely be impeded by the ongoing leak incident.

What could be more problematic for the Israeli government, however, is the potential negative outcomes of Benjamin Netanyahu having a free hand in his decision-making power and interpretation of intelligence information. Prior to October 7, the Israeli leadership had not anticipated that the Palestinian resistance would launch its surprise attack, despite intelligence information that was indicative of just this.

Taking officials with military and intelligence experience out of decision-making positions, while arming Netanyahu with even more intelligence information access, could easily lead to the weakening of Israel’s strategic decision-making. 

For instance, there may be hardline policies pursued on a number of fronts – ie. Iran, Iraq, Yemen, or Syria – which could lead to another security catastrophe for the Israelis. What the creation of this body could also indicate is a lack of solid information and the need to check it in order to verify certain information.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.