Everyone Now Says Netanyahu Must Resign [Part Two]

As the Israel-Hamas war is still ongoing after nearly one month, many in and out of Israel want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign from his position.

With no end in sight for the war between Israel and Hamas, voices of opposition against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are now being heard louder than ever. Even former and current US officials believe Netanyahu’s days are numbered and he should leave.

Daniel C. Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel believes that Benjamin Netanyahu’s days as prime minister of Israel are numbered. “He can either accept responsibility for the political, intelligence, and operational failures that were evident on Oct. 7, when Hamas massacred more than 1,400 Israelis—or he will be forced out by the commission of inquiry that will follow the war. He should leave now, while some small measure of respectability is intact,” Kurtzer said.

A report by Politico last week even revealed that Netanyahu’s resignation is what Washinton really wants. As the report noted, two senior administration officials in the White House revealed that Joe Biden and top aides have discussed the likelihood that Benjamin Netanyahu’s political days are numbered — and the president has even conveyed that sentiment to the Israeli prime minister in his recent visits to Israel. According to the two officials, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, Biden advised Netanyahu in their meeting to consider the scenario he was leaving for his successor — an implicit suggestion that Netanyahu might not be in power for the duration of what will likely be a lengthy conflict.

former Israeli officials also echoed the same rhetoric

Former Israeli military, political and intelligence officials have also expressed doubts over Netanyahu’s leadership. Describing Hamas attack on October 7 as “the most severe blow Israel has suffered since its establishment to date”, Former Israel prime minister Ehud Barak said that “I don’t believe the people trust Netanyahu to lead when he is under the burden of such a devastating event that just happened under his term. That’s why he should resign.”

Gadi Eizenkot, former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces also rebuked Netanyahu’s leadership and said that Netanyahu should “resign now.” Likewise, a former Israeli intelligence official who didn’t want his identity to be revealed said in an interview with the Guardian that Netanyahu must resign, describing the government under his leadership as “dysfunctional.”

Lt Gen Dan Halutz, a former chief of staff of the IDF and commander of the Israeli air force, as well as an outspoken member of the movement that opposed Netanyahu’s judicial reforms, also told the Guardian that the Israeli Prime Minister must go.

What has made Israelis even more furious at Netanyahu is that he has not yet taken personal responsibility for the lapses that allowed Hamas surprise attack, during which hundreds of Hamas fighters infiltrated southern Israel on October 7, resulting in over 1,400 casualties and the capture of at least 240 individuals.

Even before the war with Hamas, Netanyahu was already a polarizing figure, with all the allegations of corruption against him, which he denies, as well as his persistence to push for a plan to limit the judiciary’s powers, a move that prompted hundreds of thousands to protest in the streets of Israel.