A report published by the Israeli state comptroller released yesterday accused the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and other ministers and officials of failing to counter Hamas effectively during a major offensive on Gaza in 2014, Middle East Monitor reported.
Israeli comptroller Joseph Shapira said in his report: “There are big differences between the information from the Shabak and Aman – two Israeli intelligence agencies – regarding Hamas’ tunnels in Gaza that led to failure in the last war on Gaza.”
He added: “Despite the fact that he [Netanyahu] was well-versed in the tunnel threat and knew that it was defined as a central and even strategic threat at the end of 2013,” he did not instruct the National Security Council and the defense establishment “to present before the cabinet the tunnel threat in a clear and detailed manner.”
Netanyahu criticised in damning report on 2014 Gaza war: Israel’s government watchdog says PM failed to prepare for… https://t.co/mOSZ5e9h9a pic.twitter.com/VZRfoAMidJ
— Saeed Valadbaygi (@SaeedBaygi) February 28, 2017
Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post said that, according to the report, “Netanyahu was like an analyst in that he dissected the situation, gave warnings, but did not bother to ensure that his words would be followed up with the necessary actions.”
The paper also noted that the report’s conclusions “could tarnish the reputations of former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, former military Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, former Shin Bet director Yoram Cohen and former National Security Council chief and current Mossad director Yossi Cohen.”
Following the report, Hamas’s military wing’s spokesperson, Abu Oubaida, warned Israel of the implications that might result from waging a new escalation against Gaza, noting that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will not allow this to happen in the future.
The Israeli military has reported a fake alarm of rockets landing in in southern Israel, saying that alarms were declared by mistake, following the remarks of Hamas’s military spokesperson.
(PC, MEMO, Social Media)
