And if they had woken him up?

Amichai Attali argues that Netanyahu's 'they didn't wake me up' defense is an attempt to deflect responsibility for the failure that led to the October 7 massacre. According to him, the core of the event is not a nighttime wake-up call, but 30 years of a policy of avoiding friction with Hamas, supporting disengagement, releasing Sinwar in the Shalit deal, and preventing deep maneuvering in the Strip. The author accuses Netanyahu of ultimate responsibility and criticizes the lack of action against developing threats.

Amichai Attali analyzes in an opinion piece Benjamin Netanyahu's main defense argument since October 7: 'If only they had woken me up.' The author claims this is a ridiculous attempt to remove ultimate responsibility for the most severe failure in the state's history, and that the core of the event is not a nighttime wake-up call but 30 years of misguided policy. Attali reviews the timeline: Netanyahu fought Oslo as opposition but continued its path as prime minister, shook Arafat's hand and gave him Hebron. He voted four times in favor of disengagement, released Yahya Sinwar ('the little Hitler') in the Shalit deal, prevented deep maneuvering in Operation Protective Edge, and rejected 11 opportunities to eliminate Sinwar. The author claims Netanyahu was one of the fathers of the concept that quiet would be met with quiet, and that even a physical awakening that night would not have changed anything. Attali criticizes the fact that Netanyahu changed his behavior under fire but did not internalize lessons, and that in the face of developing threats—Hamas training for the next invasion, illegal weapons in Arab society, and military training by the Palestinian Authority—he barely lifts a finger.

And if they had woken him up?