Haaretz: Netanyahu Exploits October 7 Inquiry to Crush Opposition
Israeli daily reveals Prime Minister’s political maneuvering to weaponize “investigation” and mass-execution law as tools against opponents while diverting blame for the October 7 collapse.
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM - Israeli newspaper Haaretz has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using both the newly proposed October 7 inquiry committee and the accelerated death penalty legislation as political instruments designed to fracture and weaken opposition parties.
According to the report, Netanyahu is deliberately transforming what should be matters of national accountability into strategic tools to entrench his power and suppress political rivals — a move framed by Haaretz as a classic “divide-and-rule trick.”
Death Penalty Debate Used to Divide and Distract
Haaretz noted that the intensified push toward mass executions — a policy long rooted in discriminatory treatment between Palestinians and Jewish citizens — now carries unmistakable political motives.
The newspaper argued that the speed and intensity of the legislative push are designed to dismantle the opposition from within, forcing parties into internal conflict rather than confronting Netanyahu’s leadership.
“Only in Israel does the head of the opposition, a former prime minister, have no position on a fateful issue like mass executions,” wrote Aluf Benn, the editor-in-chief of Haaretz.
Ben-Gvir Accused of Building His Campaign “On the Bodies” of Palestinians
The report also sharply criticized far-right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, stating that he appears to be building his political future “on the bodies of those condemned to death.”
Haaretz drew a comparison to former U.S. president Bill Clinton, noting that Ben-Gvir is capitalizing on harsh punitive measures to shore up electoral support.
According to the paper, Ben-Gvir’s ally — Prison Authority Commissioner Kobi Yakobi — could ensure that hundreds of Palestinians would be positioned for execution before elections, materially boosting the electoral prospects of the extremist Otzma Yehudit party.
Targeting Political Opponents and Rewriting Responsibility
The Haaretz analysis further suggests that Netanyahu is using the inquiry committee to isolate political leaders such as Yair Golan, Ayman Odeh, Ahmad Tibi, and Mansour Abbas by framing them as “illegitimate partners” in any future Zionist-led coalition.
This tactic, the newspaper argues, sharply narrows the possibility of forming any government not controlled by Likud, effectively locking Israel’s political future under Netanyahu’s influence.
Israeli Minister Zeev Elkin stated that the commission is expected to conclude that the 1993 Oslo Accords and the 2005 disengagement from Gaza are the roots of the October 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
Such an outcome would conveniently shift blame away from Netanyahu and onto former prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon.
Inquiry Cannot Erase Netanyahu’s Failure
Despite the political engineering behind the inquiry, Haaretz stressed that the commission cannot “absolve Netanyahu of responsibility for abandoning the communities near Gaza.”
The newspaper underscored that the catastrophic failures leading up to October 7 — including ignored warnings, neglected military preparedness, and deep political divisions — occurred squarely under Netanyahu’s leadership.
As Israel faces rising internal dissent and the consequences of its ongoing aggression, Haaretz’s revelations highlight the regime’s attempts to escape accountability while further entrenching policies of repression, both domestically and against the Palestinian people. (PW)